


Entr'acte

by SyverneSien



Series: refresh au [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Declarations Of Love, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Hurt, Feelings Realization, Gods, Loneliness, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pain, Prison, Realm of Mianite, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyverneSien/pseuds/SyverneSien
Summary: Karl is trapped in the mirror realm, imprisoned by the Darkness until he declares himself a follower or is rescued. He must have the hope and resolve to hold on, but when hope fades and joining the Darkness seems like his only option, Karl is left alone, with no help in his decisions. But Mianite will not let his champion be taken from him, even if it hurts him in the process... and Karl realizes that perhaps his feelings for his god are more complicated than he anticipated.
Relationships: Jordan Maron/Lord Dianite (Mianite), Karl Handforth/Lord Mianite (Mianite)
Series: refresh au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843156
Comments: 16
Kudos: 25





	Entr'acte

**Author's Note:**

> THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT, I SWEAR... man these dudes from a minecraft roleplay series have taken over my brain, i'm so sorry

“No,” Karl croaked, shrinking back against the stone. “No.” He might not have been on the best terms with Mianite, in comparison to the other champions and their gods, but he was a newcomer to the islands. Those things must take time, and even if he’d wanted to follow Dianite at the start, he’d forged a bond with Mianite that would not be easily broken.

Jordan looked disappointed as he pulled his hand back. “That was the wrong answer, Karl. You know what I have to do now, don’t you?” Oh, Karl knew. He gripped the parapet behind him with both hands, knowing that there was no way out unless he threw himself over the edge, and that would kill him anyway. Better to let Jordan do it quickly. “My lord’s offer will still be open to you while you’re trapped here, but if you escape…” Jordan drew his sword in a smooth motion and pointed it directly at Karl’s heart, the tip barely resting against Karl’s chest.

“Do it,” Karl spat, bracing himself. “Kill me for your _lord,”_ Karl’s lips were twisted with fury - fury at Jordan betraying and lying to him, fury at Dianite for suspecting that something was wrong and not telling him and Tom, fury at Ianite for falling to the Darkness, and fury at the Darkness for taking his friend away from him, _“Captain.”_

Karl was satisfied when the title made Jordan flinch. He never called Jordan ‘Captain’ - always a nickname, something that was so close and yet hummed with their platonic bond - and so to know that it hurt Jordan as much as it hurt Karl was a small piece of revenge. Karl was not a bitter man, but Jordan deserved it.

“I mourn the friendship we could have had, _Caveman,”_ Jordan snarled back, raising his shoulders to put more pressure on the sword. _No, the friendship you abandoned,_ Karl snapped silently, thoughts tainted by anger. Jordan pushed and twisted with the blade and Karl was caught halfway in a breath, choking on air and blood before the open sky was torn away and he was catapulted into warm nothingness.

Karl usually found the revival process uncomfortable, but this time the suffocating, burning presence of his god was a relief - a reassurance that Mianite cared for him at least somewhat, enough to bring him back from the grave without a single scratch. The heat felt like it was searing the Darkness off of him, from the outside and in, cleansing him and healing him for when he woke up. A few times before, Karl had been able to catch whispers from his god in the blanket-like void, but the words were always impossible to make out. This time, Karl was able to strain and hear Mianite’s voice speak to him a few simple words that meant so much: _“Thank you, Karl.”_ Mianite didn’t need to clarify what the thanks were for - Karl understood.

_Of course,_ Karl thought weakly, closing his eyes and letting Mianite escort him back to the land of the living. He knew when he woke up he would be cold, trapped, and alone… but at least his god would be waiting for him when he escaped. Karl refused to think about what would happen if he _didn’t_ escape - he had to, it was just a matter of time.

When Karl awoke, he groaned and nearly rolled off the hard cot that he was laying on. His entire body ached, but he was unharmed, at least physically. The cell was unfamiliar - different from the one he’d been in last time - and placed in the wall of a dark room. Karl’s eyes were still adjusting to the light, and he could only make out the vaguest of shapes beyond the bars. Karl tried to find the door of his cell and realized that there wasn’t one - escaping was going to be much more difficult than last time, he knew.

Karl slid down onto the floor and lazily crossed his legs, trying to appear nonchalant to whoever might have been watching him from the darkness. He closed his eyes (he couldn’t see much anyway) and tried to steady himself. Jordan was gone, lost to the Darkness, but Tom and Dianite were free now. They _shouldn’t_ come back for him, but Karl knew Tom too well. He’d pester the chaos god into rescuing him if it was the last thing he did, and if Tom and Dianite were coming… well, perhaps Mianite would come too. What sense was there to thanking a champion for remaining loyal and then leaving said champion with the Darkness?

It was a long while before Karl’s thoughts were interrupted by light footsteps, and when Karl opened his eyes he found that there was a dim glow of blue firelight in the room, giving him just enough light to see properly. It appeared to be a throne room, with a raised dais and throne to Karl’s left and a set of doors at the end of the room to Karl’s right. The throne drew Karl’s attention as it appeared to be wrought completely of netherite, and the metal gleamed dangerously in the light from the fire now flickering in the grate behind the throne. There was a figure kneeling at the foot of the throne, whose distinct posture and build allowed Karl to quickly identify him, though his usual red coat had been replaced by one the colour of obsidian, and Karl felt a swell of bitterness in his chest.

“Thought you might be finding it hard to see,” Jordan commented quietly, his voice echoing around the big, empty room. “Be prepared for a visit from my lord in a couple of hours. They’re not very happy with you, Karl.” And with that, Jordan got to his feet and started past Karl’s cell to the doors. Karl watched him go, refusing to say anything.

There wasn’t much to do in Karl’s cell other than watch the dancing blue light refract off of the netherite throne and attempt to sleep, so that was what he did. There was a sinister feeling that came with being trapped in the Darkness’ realm, something akin to someone walking on his grave. It was always nighttime, as Karl had discovered from his previous visits to the mirror world, so it was difficult to gauge the passage of time.

He was starting to drift off, back on his cot, when the doors slammed open and the Darkness strode in, making Karl cough and choke on the sour taste that accompanied the smoky entity. The Darkness stormed by Karl with waves of fury rolling off of it and Jordan trailing behind it with his hands folded behind his back. Karl doubted that it was his rejection that had made the Darkness so angry and his eyebrows furrowed as the Darkness went to its throne and sat down heavily, its claw-like fingers curling over the armrests. Jordan glanced over to where Karl was standing before dropping to one knee before the throne.

“You disobeyed me,” the Darkness snarled at Jordan, and Karl started to feel awkward - like he wasn’t supposed to be witnessing this. “You wanted to flee back to the islands.” The Darkness’ eyes flared with anger as it leaned forward in the throne. “What do you have to say for yourself, Captain?” The Darkness’ attention flickered briefly to Karl and he realized that no, he was here for a reason.

Jordan’s eyes were fixed on the ground. “I thought that there was a chance I could get my cover back, m’lord - act like I’d been possessed, something like that,” he explained, and Karl could hear the quiver in his voice. “You have plenty of mindless slaves, sir, and I am not one of them. If m’lord would _be so kind_ as to _listen_ sometimes, then I might be able to-” Jordan choked, his speech halting suddenly, and Karl could see wisps of smoke curling around his neck.

_“Silence,”_ the Darkness ordered, the smoke retreating, and Jordan stayed quiet. “No, you are not a mindless slave, Captain, but you are _my_ champion now.” Its eyes narrowed. “You always showed such strong faith in ‘Ianite’,” Karl could hear the quotations around the word, “and all I ask is that you have the same faith in me. Nothing has _changed,_ Captain. You are following the same god… there has simply been a shift in perspective.” The Darkness scowled dangerously. “So the next time you have a _thought_ and I tell you not to act on it, you will obey me - do you understand?”

Jordan muttered something that Karl couldn’t quite hear, but his tone sounded annoyed.

“What was that?” the Darkness prompted in a low hiss. If looks could kill, then Jordan would have been long dead.

“Yes, m’lord,” Jordan repeated dejectedly. Karl blinked. Jordan was loyal to the Darkness, that seemed true, but their relationship didn’t seem to be as happy as Karl had first thought. Or, Karl added as he looked from the kneeling captain to the Darkness on its netherite throne, it was all a trick, deliberately staged to give Karl more faith in his former friend.

“You’re dismissed. I want a word with the caveman,” the Darkness hissed. Jordan hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say more, but he held his tongue. “You’re _dismissed,_ Captain,” it repeated coldly.

Jordan stood and gave a curt nod to the Darkness, then glanced over to Karl’s cell. Karl glared back. _If you’d wanted to talk to me, you had hours,_ Karl thought sourly. Jordan turned on his heel and left, coat flapping behind him. The doors slammed shut and Karl flinched.

The Darkness dissipated into smoke and quickly reformed in front of Karl’s cell, lips still twisted in an expression of anger. However, it quickly changed into a sort of patronizing smile. _“Karl,”_ the Darkness drawled, sounding annoyed. “Your friend and his god have eluded my grasp yet again.” The Darkness paused. “I would like the whole set, but you’ll do for now.”

_Whole set? We’re not fucking action figures,_ Karl wanted to say, but he kept silent. If he didn’t say anything, it couldn’t be used against him. He’d seen how Jordan had twisted Tom’s words around and thrown them back at him.

“Cat got your tongue, Karl?” the Darkness taunted. “No angry remarks for me? No false claims about how your friend and your god will be coming to rescue you?” It curled its hands around the bars and jeered at him, expression shifting into a smirk.

Karl thought for a moment. “I won’t join you,” he said simply, “and that’s all you’re going to get from me.” If he swore not to say anything else, then he would be fine. It wasn’t a foolproof plan and relied on his self-control, but he was sure he just had to hold out until Tom came to get him.

“Stubborn and naive,” the Darkness grumbled, shaking its head with disappointment. “You’ll stay here until you change your mind, Karl. Mark my words,” the Darkness pointed its index claw at Karl’s face, “I _will_ get you on my team.”

_Good luck with that,_ Karl thought sarcastically, and the Darkness tilted its head quizzically. With a start, Karl wondered if it could hear what he was thinking. When mentally screaming as loud as he could prompted no reaction, Karl relaxed slightly - though the Darkness was still staring at him and Karl’s skin was still crawling.

“My champion is fond of you,” the Darkness commented, sounding nonchalant. “It would be a shame to make him see you get hurt.” And with that, the Darkness melted into the shadows and vanished, though Karl had a sneaking suspicion that it was still watching him.

Karl slumped against the wall of his cell. There was a certain temptation to it - joining the Darkness with Jordan. However, he knew he couldn’t change his mind if he decided to be on the Darkness’ side only temporarily. It would never let him go. Any sort of mock freedom and companionship with Jordan he had would be bittersweet. Karl just had to hope that he would be rescued before he hit the breaking point.

_I will be rescued, won’t I?_

* * *

Sleep was fitful and came after hours of fighting, trying to decide whether he should rest and leave himself defenceless or stay awake and drain himself. Karl had never been in the mirror realm this long and the feeling of the strange world dug under his skin and chewed at his heartstrings, making him ache. Jordan’s betrayal was still raw, tearing into his emotional state with teeth and claws, and there was something else tugging at his chest that Karl couldn’t identify. Whatever it was, it _hurt,_ and it screamed at him whenever he thought of home and his god.

Karl awoke with his arms outstretched, hands clutching at the thin blanket covering him as if there was someone there he was trying to keep from leaving. Karl shivered and rolled over, tugging the blanket with him and moving his clenched fists to his chest, trying to stifle the emotions that he was feeling. His island was always warm, what with the currents that swept by the temple of Mianite. Sometimes he would go and lay on the strip of beach beneath the glass bridge and watch the light dance through it on the water, just letting the world pass by, or even sit inside the temple itself, where the quartz held onto warmth long after the sun had set. Tom always looked at him funny when Karl mentioned that because logically, the quartz should reflect heat, but Karl just shrugged and excused that it must be the Nether properties combined with residual godly magic. Karl tried to swallow the lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut again, wishing he could hold onto the memories and slip away from the cold, unforgiving wasteland of the Darkness’ prison.

Karl refused to pray. Somebody would come for him - they had to. He wanted to show Mianite that he could handle things by himself, without instantly running to the god of order for help. Karl didn’t even know if Mianite could hear him from the mirror dimension, aside from when he died, and Karl wasn’t about to starve himself just to communicate with his god. And perhaps it was strange, what with how Tom acted and Jordan had acted towards their gods, but he was slightly afraid of bothering Mianite - the few times Karl had met the god, he’d radiated such power that Karl had been stricken with speechlessness and a feeling he swore to the moon and back was anxiety. Karl cursed under his breath. Just thinking about the god was putting butterflies in his stomach.

The few times that, late at night, Jordan and Tom had been convinced to share stories of the other realms, Karl had always listened attentively. It was bittersweet, listening to the other champions talk about their old friends and the fun they’d had together, because Karl could see that if they’d had to choose, Jordan and Tom would have picked Tucker or Sonja or Waglington to wash up on the islands with them instead of some stranger. The feeling had mostly faded after he built up relationships with both of them and the priest, and sometimes Karl saw the joy in their faces that they had while talking about their times in the Realm of Mianite and Ruxomar. But it wasn’t the same - it was _never_ the same - and Karl knew he was no replacement for the Mianitees in the other worlds. Perhaps that was why Mianite seemed so distant from him. This Mianite had never been to the foreign realms, just like Karl, but maybe he could sense that Karl wasn’t his true champion.

That would be a valid reason for Mianite to leave him in the prison, wouldn’t it? Leave him and use his awesome powers to retrieve one of the others from wherever they were now. Tucker wouldn’t be tempted by the Darkness. Tucker wouldn’t get nervous at the thought of speaking to his god. Not from the stories Karl had heard about the hero, no matter what sideways glances Tom and Jordan shot at each other while stumbling over parts of their tales. Maybe Mianite _needed_ Karl to stay in the prison, to get him out of the way or maybe even sacrifice him, to reach the old Mianitees.

_No,_ Karl thought, sitting up and leaning back against the wall next to his cot. _I shouldn’t give up hope yet. If Mianite doesn’t come, then Tom will._ Though Tom, without any godly abilities, probably wouldn’t be able to take on the Darkness and its agents by himself. Karl wanted to escape, truly, but with not even a lock to try to pick and obsidian on all sides, he doubted that it was a reliable option.

Karl’s pondering was interrupted by a loud cough from the other side of the bars and he jumped, looking up sharply to see Jordan, gaunt and laced in shadow, his posture stiff and immaculate. Either Karl had been so deep in thought that he hadn’t heard Jordan come in, or the Darkness’ influence on Jordan was becoming more prevalent. Judging by the captain’s dark eyes and pointed teeth almost fully covered by his lip, it was the latter. Jordan reached through the bars and Karl flinched away slightly, but Jordan just set down a flask and a paper-wrapped bundle of something that Karl didn’t recognize.

“Food and water,” Jordan explained tersely. “We’re not complete monsters, you know.” Jordan turned as if he were going to leave, but then hesitated and looked back. “Karl… I shouldn’t be telling you this, but Tom will be taking up residence in that cell next to yours soon if all goes well. He’ll join us - I’m sure of it. This is your chance to get ahead and help me bring us all onto the same side.” Silence hung in the air and Karl refused to break it, just glaring at the man who dared to think that after lying to him about the stone and giving it to the Darkness, Karl would somehow still trust him. “No?” Jordan sighed. “I’m going to sleep, then. Don’t break out until I wake up, please. M’lord barely lets me rest as it is.” Jordan moved away, as silent as a predator stalking its prey, and vanished out of the room.

Karl drummed his fingers on his leg, anxiety boiling up in his chest. The Darkness was going after Tom, which could ruin any hope of being rescued by the Dianitee. And yet, there was nothing Karl could do about it.

Unless…

Karl dropped onto the floor, trying not to make any noise. He put his back to the bars, folded his hands together, and rested his elbows on the wall-mounted cot. _Lord Mianite,_ he started silently, cringing slightly at his awkwardness. _The Darkness and his champion are going to be coming after Tom._ What else should he say? _I don’t know when._ Well, that was helpful. _Him getting captured would be really bad,_ man, he needed a thesaurus for this, _and even though he isn’t your follower I would like to ask that you keep an eye on him._ How exactly does one end a prayer? _Thanks._ Not like that, Karl bet. At least he didn’t call his god ‘mate’.

He sighed and moved into a more comfortable sitting position, eyeing the flask and parcel Jordan had left for him. Karl doubted that he would get any sort of response from the god of order - either Tom would show up in the cell next to him at some point, or he wouldn’t. Karl’s stomach rumbled and he snatched up the package, undoing the twine and unrolling the paper. It looked just like strips of regular cooked meat, but Karl was suspicious. Did it look darker than usual, or was it just the light? Karl was too hungry to really spend much time peering at it, and soon all that was left of the meal was grease on the brown paper. The flask of water was half-downed shortly after, but he resigned to keep some of it for later.

A flicker out of the corner of Karl’s eye caught his attention and he leapt up, rushing to the bars and staring out at the dark room. It was familiar and warm and made Karl’s heart skip a beat, though he couldn’t quite place it, and when he searched for it in the shadows, it had vanished. Karl hesitantly admitted to himself that it must have been a trick of the firelight and a side effect of his mind being off due to being trapped in the Darkness’ realm.

* * *

The progression of time was slow and meandering, and sometimes Karl swore the monotony of it was driving him mad. Jordan showed up occasionally (Karl assumed it was once a day, but he couldn’t tell) with bread and water. The meat from his first meal did not make another appearance, to Karl’s dismay. Sometimes Jordan came and went without making a sound, other times he attempted to get Karl to speak, usually tempting him with joining the Darkness but very rarely just trying to start a conversation by telling Karl what he had been up to. The Darkness itself appeared a handful of times, perched on its throne and mulling over thoughts that it seemed to be wrestling with, and Karl was completely ignored. On the whole, it gave Karl far too much time to think and worry.

The twine that had been accompanying his first meal was one of his only sources of trying to keep himself sane and hopeful. Methodically tying and untying knots until his fingers were raw and red. Each negative thought got a knot tied, and each positive got one untied. _Tom’s going to get caught._ He pulled the knot tight. _Mianite and Dianite won’t let him get captured._ He pulled it free again. _I’m never going to escape._ He pulled the knot tight. _I escaped once already._ He pulled it free again. _Tom is going to leave me here._ He pulled the knot tight. _Tom would never._ He pulled it free again. _Mianite doesn’t want me._ Karl pulled the knot tight… and set the twine down on the floor of his cell.

Karl was a terrible champion. He was laying on the hard cot, staring up at the pitch-black roof of his cell. He’d barely done anything for his god, and when he’d tried he’d just managed to get Mianite possessed by the Darkness temporarily. Karl was surprised that Mianite had let that go so easily (or perhaps he hadn’t, and that was why Karl never saw him). Dianite was so involved with Tom, visiting him and giving him gifts, and Ianite (or the Darkness) had been with Jordan, and Mianite… Mianite felt like an afterthought. Every time the gods were mentioned it was Ianite, then Dianite, and Mianite was only ever brought up when Karl insisted that the third god existed as well. From how Jordan had spoken about being a follower of Ianite before the other champions even believed that Ianite was real, Karl almost felt like that - following a god that never spoke to him, never made an appearance, that the other champions couldn’t care less about. He’d tried so hard, yearning for his god’s approval and support, but instead, he’d ruined his god and been abandoned for it. And it hurt, watching Tom with his god, and even Jordan with the Darkness, when all Karl wanted was even a _note_ from Mianite letting him know that he was watching over his champion. There had been that brief moment during the revival process, but Karl suspected that he had dreamed that. It seemed so out-of-character for Mianite to show any sort of _care._

Karl bit his lip to keep from cursing loudly. He was a mess, wasn’t he? And Mianite wanted a perfect champion, a hero like Tucker that would do anything to uphold order. Meanwhile, Karl was lighting boats on fire, being swayed by the Darkness, misunderstanding simple instructions, making foolish mistakes during elytra races that forced Mianite to bring him back from death, and finding himself unable to make even the simplest Nether portal without somehow managing to screw it up. Karl was no _champion_ \- hell, he was barely a _follower_ of order at this point.

Mianite deserved better than Karl. And yet Karl couldn’t bring himself to turn away from Mianite, no matter how much it hurt to continue trying and failing to uphold order and make his god happy. An absolute disaster, that’s what Karl’s life was. He hadn’t even settled on the part where just a week after becoming closer friends with Jordan, the captain was revealed to have been working for the Darkness the entire time. Gods, the first thing Karl was going to need after getting out of prison was a hug.

Karl tucked the blanket around his shoulders and tried to pretend that he was back in the temple he had built, watching the sunset with the quartz warming his back.

* * *

“Wrists,” Jordan demanded sharply, refusing to meet Karl’s eyes. Karl held his arms out and Jordan reached through the bars to snap manacles onto his wrists, the weight instantly making Karl’s shoulders ache. “M’lord wants to show you that it’s futile to keep hoping for rescue...” Jordan’s gaze darted away and he half-smiled, “...and I thought you might want to take a walk.” Jordan clicked his fingers and the bars vanished, letting Karl gingerly step through where they had just been.

Karl glanced back at his cell, noting the other empty cells on either side. Forgetting his vow of silence, Karl asked dryly, “If you don’t catch Tom, can you knock down the walls and let me have more room?” as Jordan closed his hand around Karl’s upper arm and started to lead him towards the doors at the end of the room.

Jordan was silent for a few moments and Karl didn’t expect him to answer, but then he replied, “Maybe.” He looked over at Karl. “I’ll see what I can do.” He reached for the handle on the door and heaved it open, and Karl expected it to creak, but it was eerily silent.

Karl was so surprised by Jordan’s response that he forgot to be angry with him. “You will?” he questioned, eyebrows furrowing. Karl paused but spoke again before Jordan could interject. “What, going to cash in a favour with your sugar daddy?” His tone was bitter again, though he got some amusement out of the joke.

Jordan’s lips twisted into an expression of disgust. “The Darkness is not my-” he argued, before appearing to think better of it and cut himself off. “This way,” Jordan growled, practically dragging Karl by his shackles down a dark corridor lit by blue torches that seemed identical to all the others. Karl grimaced at the rough treatment, though he supposed he had provoked Jordan with his comment.

“So you don’t deny it,” Karl taunted, thinking that he couldn’t possibly make things worse for himself by teasing the Darkness’ champion. It was a small source of satisfaction that he might as well make the most of while he was alone with Jordan. “Do you have one of those fancy hidden doors between your rooms so that nobody sees you going over?”

Jordan scowled. _“First,_ there’s barely anybody here. Second, m’lord and I have a _strictly_ professional relationship-”

“Oh, is that what you’re calling it?”

“-and I hate you for even _suggesting_ that I- we… _do that.”_ The tips of Jordan’s ears were red, and Karl felt a pang of sadness as he remembered the teasing from him and Tom about Jordan’s relationship with Ianite. “I am the Darkness’ _champion,_ not a… a _hooker.”_

Karl wanted to call Jordan out on his slang, but instead, he decided to continue poking the bear with a stick. “Is there much difference, when it comes to the Darkness? All that kneeling and saying ‘milord’ and the bit where he, y’know, choked you and everything seems a little-” Something solid collided with the side of Karl’s face, cutting him off mid-sentence and sending him staggering into the wall.

It took a moment for Karl to process the fact that Jordan, the normally well-mannered captain, had just punched him. Sure, Jordan had killed him for the Darkness, but killing him to knock him out and lock him up was one thing, and punching him because of exaggerated simp jokes was another. Karl raised his hand to his face and felt his mouth, trying to judge the damage. He swore Jordan must’ve gotten stronger (and more easily angered) since joining the Darkness because his head was spinning and he was _definitely_ bleeding and he might lose a tooth over some teasing.

“Don’t test me, caveman. Next time, I won’t entertain your nonsense for so long. Understand?” Jordan snarled, his eyes practically spitting cold fire behind his sunglasses. One of his hands was resting on the hilt of the netherite sword in his belt, and the other latched onto Karl’s arm with an iron grip and hauled him to his feet. When Karl didn’t reply immediately, Jordan drew himself up taller and his face twisted into an expression of pure, relentless fury. “I _asked-”_ Jordan poked him in the face, directly on where his cheek was starting to swell and bruise, and Karl winced violently, “-if you _understand,_ Karl.”

“I understand, _Captain,”_ Karl hissed back, his voice full of venom. Then, to put the final nail in the coffin, Karl spat blood in Jordan’s face.

“That’s it,” Jordan growled darkly, wiping away the blood with an expression of distaste. “I do something nice for you and you decide to antagonize me needlessly. I’ll get somebody else to take you back to your cell because you’re certainly not going outside now. I suggest you learn to _like_ your cell, Karl, because it will take a _long_ time to purge yourself from this. And don’t count on the zombie or your precious _god_ to save you, because I’ve been back to the islands, and guess what, Karl?” Jordan leaned close to Karl’s ear and whispered, _“They’re not coming.”_

It had been easier to force himself to believe that it wasn’t true when it had been Karl’s anxieties whispering to him, but when it came from a man who had once been his friend, the words hit harder than the punch did. Karl knew Jordan could lie, knew that he probably _was_ lying, but it planted a seed of doubt that Karl found hard to reap. Karl felt numb as Jordan loomed over him until an agent of the Darkness arrived, and Jordan stormed off into the deep recesses of the Darkness’ prison and fortress.

He barely noticed when the bars materialized back into place, trapping him in his little corner of the room, his heart aching and breaking and yearning for home, his friends (Dec and Orion were still trustworthy, they weren’t as close to him as Tom was and Jordan had been but he still trusted them, even if Dec was a drunk and Orion spent most of his time shut up in his wizard tower, even if neither of them would come to rescue him), and his god.

* * *

Karl’s cheek was throbbing and he’d lost a tooth sometime in the last few hours, which he’d unceremoniously shoved underneath the mattress of his cot because the sight of it had made him start to feel sick. Or, at least, sicker than he had been before. He managed to drink some water without wincing too much, but he would’ve given anything for some ice (perhaps not anything, he wasn’t about to join the Darkness for a bit of pain relief). Karl tried to tell himself that he wouldn’t deliberately infuriate Jordan again, but what else was there to do? Waste away in his cell and let a traitor push him around?

Oh, who was he kidding? Jordan had almost done something nice for him, and he’d ruined it. Karl could at least pretend that he didn’t hold a grudge against the Darkness’ champion if he wanted any shot at escaping by himself. Karl slumped against the wall, considering whether or not putting his cheek against the chains that held his cot would be worth it. He really needed to start thinking before he acted - though he couldn’t have predicted that a few jokes (albeit rather nasty jokes, but jokes nonetheless) would get him actually _punched._

Was it even worth it - fighting through the pain? The Darkness would heal him in an instant if he submitted. He wouldn’t have to worry about escaping or being hostile towards Jordan. And he bet that the Darkness wouldn’t just be able to take away the sting on his face, but probably the ache in his heart as well. He wanted Jordan to be happy, too, despite everything, and being the Darkness’ sole follower with a mind of his own had to be taxing. Karl had seen as much in the rather showy display from… however long ago it had been.

But then Karl would have to fight Tom, and Dec, and Orion, unless they all joined the Darkness as well. And what about the gods? Not only were they unlikely to kneel to another entity, but Karl had seen Mianite (possessed?) influenced by the Darkness before and it had shaken him to his core. He wouldn’t wish it upon Mianite again for anything, though it might have been selfish. His god had been more powerful, sure, and him by extension… but Karl had hated every moment with a burning passion, as it felt so _wrong._ Mianite always seemed so pure and regal and aloof, and that was the version of Mianite Karl wanted to keep. Not whatever twisted shell of a god he would end up with if he made a deal with the Darkness.

Mianite again. Why was he always thinking about Mianite? Being isolated from Mianite’s realm, the Overworld, must’ve been hurting him as Mianite’s champion, and so he kept being drawn back to Mianite. That was it.

Karl was cold again. Nevermind thinking about Mianite, Karl was always frozen to the bone. He wished the natural chill would soothe his cheek, but no such luck. Craving any trace of warmth, Karl stole the thin blanket from his cot and tucked it around himself. He wasn’t able to sleep on the cot, what with his face twinging every time the pillow so much as brushed it, but perhaps he could catch a wink or two against the wall. Karl was certainly desperate enough.

Sleep did not come. It was no wonder, but Karl still had the innocence to be surprised. His face hurt too much, the wall was too uncomfortable, and his mind was buzzing with thoughts about his god. And his friends. Interlaced, of course, with Jordan’s sinister insistence that they wouldn’t be coming for him.

“Don’t leave me here, goddamnit,” Karl muttered under his breath. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” He knew that nobody could hear him unless the Darkness was listening, in which case he’d just helped his captor. Karl sighed. Everything felt hopeless. The seed of doubt that Jordan had planted was starting to grow into a weed, intent on strangling Karl’s last roots of resistance.

If somebody didn’t come for him soon… 

Karl had never hated himself more.

* * *

An agent of the Darkness delivered Karl’s pitiful meal, but Karl could barely manage to eat. The taste of blood made his stomach churn and he set aside the bread for later. He felt too uneasy to eat, anyway. The promise of rescue slid further and further out of Karl’s grasp with each new day. Karl just wanted _out._ Out of this horrible fortress that chilled his very soul, away from the bitter tang and suffocating presence of the Darkness, back to where his friends were (probably) waiting for him. Most of them, at least. His relationship with Jordan was shattered beyond repair, there was no doubt about that. And even if he got back, would it be the same? Would _Karl_ be the same? He felt fine, albeit lonely and cold, but there had to be something wrong with him, after being imprisoned for… a week? Two weeks? A month? Karl couldn’t even guess the number of meals he’d had.

Karl’s mind started to wander, and as if he’d worn a track in his mind with all the musing he’d done, it circled to his god. Mianite. Only this time, it was a happier sort of thought. A recollection, a fleeting memory. Something that had caused him to be the subject of teasing for a little while, though Karl knew it had merely been a gesture of goodwill from Mianite. He tried not to think about it because he barely remembered as it was, and what he did recall confused him.

He’d fallen sick after one too many failed elytra flights landing in the ocean, that much he knew to be true. He’d tried to fight through it and collapsed in the temple, struggling to breathe. From then on, it was mostly darkness - not Darkness, just the kind that came with being asleep or unconscious - and the feeling of being carried, then all-encompassing warmth. Declan had told Karl afterwards that he’d had a terrible fever and Mianite had been doing everything he could (which meant Karl was pretty much guaranteed to recover, seeing as it was a simple fever and Mianite was a god), but he had to heal slowly to prevent any ‘complications’. Hence why when Karl had woken up the next morning, feeling perfect, Mianite had been laying on a bed that hadn’t been there before, stationed next to Karl’s, watching him like a hawk.

_“How do you feel?” Mianite demanded the instant Karl opened his eyes, electric blue eyes almost blinding to him. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. I didn’t want to disturb you.” The only word Karl’s confused and overwhelmed brain could come up with to describe the god of order was ‘frazzled’._

_Karl blinked. Mianite looked and sounded worried, which made Karl’s heart swell. For some reason, he was tongue-tied. “Er… fine,” Karl managed quietly. “I’m fine.” Mianite was still looking at him with concern. “Better than fine. What-”_

_He couldn’t even get the question out before Mianite had swooped in. “The priest said that you had a fever. It broke a few hours ago, and he went home. What were you_ thinking, _my champion?” Mianite lifted his hand, then hesitated and put it back down. “You knew you were sick, surely? Humans are so- like that!” Mianite gestured vaguely. “Why did you keep going? I found you a step away from death-” Karl was sure he was exaggerating, “-in_ my _temple and I…” Mianite hesitated. “Take care of yourself! Please!”_

_Karl yawned. “Uh…” He was still baffled by this entire turn of events. “Sure, my lord. I’ll… try?” Self-care tips from the god of order. Now he’d really heard everything. Karl could feel himself starting to slip back into sleep. He might’ve skipped a few nights of rest in search of diamonds, and now it was coming back to bite him._

_“And don’t call me ‘my lord’, it sounds… just don’t,” Mianite snapped, before noticing Karl’s drooping eyelids. “Are you falling asleep again? Do you want me to leave you alone?” Mianite asked hurriedly._

_Karl mumbled “Yes,” in response to the first question, but didn’t have time to answer the second one. Instead, he fell into unconsciousness, and when he woke up again, Mianite was gone - the only trace that he’d ever been there being the bed rather comically labelled with Mianite’s name. When the bed vanished a few days later, Karl was sure that he’d hallucinated the whole thing in a feverish stupor._

_He never did call Mianite ‘my lord’ again, though._

Karl reached up to touch his cheek. Mianite could heal it with a brush of his fingertips, just like he’d brought Karl back to life so many times, and how Karl’s memories tried to convince him that he’d cured Karl’s fever. The thought sent a warm shiver down Karl’s spine. But for that to happen, Mianite or someone else would have to liberate Karl first. And at this point… Karl’s heart was racing. Was he really that desperate for comfort?

It hadn’t happened. There was no way it had. Mianite had never acknowledged the night again and Declan refused to talk extensively about it. The priest must have healed Karl on his own _(but why would he lie?)_ , or enlisted help from Mianite, but that scene between sleep and sleep didn’t happen. It couldn’t have. The Mianite he’d dreamed up had been the polar opposite of his distant god. Karl would even go as far as to say that, despite Mianite’s soft radiance of heat, the god was chilly. Karl just wanted to know what he’d done _wrong…_ Mianite had been distanced from him even before the fiasco with the Darkness armour. Almost as if he was scared of something, no matter how ridiculous Karl knew it sounded.

_Was that fear enough to motivate Mianite to leave him to the Darkness?_ Karl didn’t know the answer. The Mianite from his fuzzy memory definitely wouldn’t abandon him, but then again, that one wasn’t _real._ The Mianite that Tom and Jordan had hesitantly told him about, from Ruxomar, would desert him in a heartbeat. The god of order from the Isles, though… he was a mystery. A confusing, heart-wrenching mystery that left Karl floating in the grey area, unsure whether to continue waiting and hoping for rescue or give up and figure out a way to renounce the Darkness after he was freed, however risky it might be.

Karl had a bias towards Dianite, that much was clear. He’d been on the verge of joining Dianite when Mianite had claimed Karl as his champion. The action still confused him. Why did Mianite want _him?_ He had to be regretting his decision to accept Karl as his follower. It had brought him nothing but trouble. But _despite all of that_ \- being forced into a role he didn’t want - Karl had tried so hard to make Mianite happy. And despite _everything_ Mianite did (or didn’t do), being his champion had made Karl happy. It hadn’t been what he wanted, but it turned out to be what he needed. Or so he’d thought. The more Karl had seen Dianite, the more he’d been sure that being a follower of Mianite was a better decision for him. Where Mianite radiated steady warmth, power, and authority, Dianite fizzed and popped with jolts of energy and magic. It always felt like standing next to a ticking bomb or a fireworks display, sparking with fire and scorching heat one moment, then receding into smouldering ashes the next. Tom thrived off of it and hummed with a similar aura, albeit much less powerful, which was part of the reason Karl was never inclined to trust him. Would you trust a fire not to burn you if you asked? Jordan had told Karl once that Karl always seemed steadfast and reliable, which Karl had taken pride in. Though even after proving himself, Mianite didn’t seem to agree.

Karl took a shuddering breath. He missed his bed, with a soft comforter and warm sheets that always smelled vaguely of pine sap. He missed his home and the stunning view overlooking the temple and the ocean, the natural wood walls that he’d worked so hard to prune and work into the treehouse without damaging the tree too much (Orion had recently helped him fix it up, using wizardly magic to graft his house directly into the trunk), the rustling of the leaves and the salty smell of the ocean wafting in through his open doors as he drifted off to sleep, and the old stripped logs still left over from one of Tom and Jordan’s pranks that felt like a lifetime away. He missed his island, where Orion’s tower spiralled up into the sky and the Mianite temple gleamed in the sunlight, where Karl could go and spend time relaxing with his farm animals and llamas without a care in the world, where he could recline on the beach, dig his toes into the sand, and watch the dolphins playing in the waves.

Karl squeezed his eyes shut, wishing the pain in his heart would go away. He missed Tom, a whirlwind of passion and excitement about everything, no matter how small, always cracking jokes and making the other champions laugh, his trustworthiness easily doubtable but his loyalty to his friends never wavering. He missed Declan, a tired and wizened presence that was a little rough around the edges, but with a good, strong heart and a talent for weaving stories that Karl was envious of, and, you know what, there was nobody else around to hear Karl think it, the fatherly figure of the group that any of them could rely on for help - as long as that help was of the emotional support kind, not the fighting kind. He missed Orion, the cheerful wizard that appeared whenever Karl least expected it, chirping about some new spell or potion or book that he’d discovered, dragging Karl into conversations that made his head spin but filled him with joy nonetheless and introducing him to unfamiliar games and pastimes before disappearing back into his tower to work into the wee hours of the night, the only sign that he was still alive the flickering of a candle in his window. Hell, Karl even missed Hermod, who, despite his drunkenness, desire to throw hands with the priest every time they saw each other, strange boat obsession, and near-inaudibly scratchy voice, had a certain charm to him, though he was certainly more endearing once Karl had downed a pint. And of course, he missed Jordan, who was now gone forever (Karl didn’t know if the Tank of Judgement would work on somebody that had voluntarily sworn himself to the Darkness), but had once been the staple of balance and morality, keeping everybody sane and order and chaos from running rampant too much, exercising caution when Karl and Tom forgot, aiding them with puzzles and secrets, always observant and curious and helpful (though sometimes for a price), and Karl might as well admit it, the man was handsome. Not Karl’s type, but objectively attractive nonetheless. No wonder Dianite, the most openly interested in men out of all the Isles’ affiliates, had fallen for him. Karl hadn’t been sure before and Tom had joked about it a couple of times, but the look of agony and torture and heartbreak on Dianite’s face when Jordan had revealed himself to be a follower of Darkness had chased away all his doubts. Karl wondered how Dianite was coping with that revelation. Probably not much better than Karl was dealing with being trapped in the prison.

Karl’s breathing was starting to get trapped in his chest. Dwelling on his friends did not appear to be having a very positive reaction on him. Karl stood up and paced along the length of his cell, which wasn’t very far, in an effort to calm himself down. He clenched his hands into fists briefly before placing his palms against the wall and leaning over to look at the ground. It was _fine._ Everything was going to be _fine._ Except Mianite probably hated him and Jordan definitely hated him and Orion and Dec wouldn’t come and Tom couldn’t possibly rescue him by himself and Dianite was wrecked so there was _no_ help coming, _nothing_ to do to save himself, it was a disaster and it was hopeless and-

Karl collapsed to his knees. His chest heaved and he felt like he was going to pass out, and barely registered when something dripped from his face onto the floor. Tears. He was crying. The floodgates had finally broken, but instead of submitting to the Darkness, he was crying on the floor of his cell. Karl’s body was wracked with a vicious sob that sent pain splintering through the side of his face and he slumped, defeated, onto the ground, continuing to cry but without enough energy to control it. He wasn’t really angry anymore, just… upset. Exhausted. Lonely. Drained. Overwhelmed. Karl just wanted to go home and have everything be okay again. He wanted his friends. He wanted- he wanted _Mianite._ Just some sort of comfort from the god that was supposed to be on his side.

“Oh, _fuck me,”_ Karl swore, finding himself on the ground on his back, trying to steady his breathing and stop his head from spinning. He was still crying and he made no move to stop. It wasn’t healthy to keep his emotions bottled up, he knew, and there was nobody to see him break down. Just the cold, unseeing walls of his obsidian prison. Let the Darkness come for him. He didn’t care anymore. If he was going to slip away, he would do it as a proud champion of Mianite, not a follower of Darkness. Nobody would come for him and he would die with his head held high, hoping his sacrifice would mean something. If a champion no longer wished to come back to life, could they be revived?

There was still a primordial instinct to cling to life that was fighting with him, convincing him to try harder. Suck up to Jordan and the Darkness, attempt to make an escape plan. Hop aboard the only chance to see his friends and his god again that didn’t involve giving away his humanity. Karl had to admit, the thought was glorious. Returning to the Isles alone, able to walk up to Mianite and say _look, I’m worth something to you._ However, Karl knew it was unrealistic. He could _try,_ but the Darkness was smart and Karl would hazard to say that Jordan was even smarter. Outsmarting them would be nigh-on impossible.

Was it even worth it?

If his friends didn’t rescue him… maybe he was better off without them anyway.

* * *

The Darkness visited Karl again a meal later, which made two after his scrap with Jordan. Karl was subdued, sitting on the cot and watching the smoke curl into a humanoid figure outside his cell with the barest hint of interest. His cheek throbbed. The sour tang under his tongue reminded Karl of his blood.

“Karl,” the Darkness greeted, its voice a cool hiss. “I heard that you had a bit of a… tussle with my champion.” Its green eyes flickered over Karl’s face and Karl realized that he had no idea what it was bruising into. Blue, black, purple, yellow? He had no mirror to see himself in. “Rest assured that it won’t happen again. Killing you is acceptable, but broken toys are no fun to play with.” The Darkness shot him a toothy grin. “You know what my offer is, don’t you?” Its eyebrows arched on the inflexion.

“Join you and you’ll fix my face,” Karl replied, monotone. “The answer’s still ‘no’.” Karl folded his hands in his lap, trying to keep his leg from twitching. The presence of the Darkness was blatantly uncomfortable, and felt like something cold was wrapping around his heart and squeezing.

The Darkness hummed, and before Karl could react, it reached through the bars towards him, arm extending beyond regular human reach with the addition of more smoke. Its claws curled around Karl’s chin and roughly pulled him to his feet. Karl’s heart leapt into his throat and fear shot down his spine. Tears started to well up in his eyes as the Darkness’ fingers dug into the bruised skin and he fought to keep them from spilling over.

The Darkness started to squeeze Karl’s face, expression alight with sadistic amusement. Karl inhaled sharply through his nose and his vision blurred. He struggled in the Darkness’ grip but every movement brought new agony, and he grabbed ahold of the Darkness’ wrist in a futile effort to make it let go.

“Weak little humans,” the Darkness spat as Karl’s tears started to flow, and it released him and shoved him back so suddenly that Karl staggered into the cot and fell onto it. “Flawed and so easily _damaged._ I could make you perfect, Karl.” Its expression made Karl feel like a particularly rare bird, caged and revered. Or a piece of cracked porcelain that the Darkness wanted to fix. The thoughts felt sour in Karl’s mind. “Utterly _flawless,_ like a god. Not your godlings, a real god. No more pain. No more of this feeble human form. It doesn’t reflect your true potential, Karl.”

Karl choked out, “No,” still reeling from the anguish. He didn’t want to be perfect. Not if it meant giving everything up. _“No.”_

The Darkness’ expression changed into one of knowing amusement. “Or… I could give you what you _really_ want, Karl,” it offered smoothly. “Though I suppose ‘who’ would be more fitting.” It grinned, almost teasing.

Karl blinked. “Who I want?” He didn’t think it was his friends… no, there was a more cunning look in the Darkness’ eyes that seemed to be staring directly into his soul. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maybe it was the pain messing with him, but he was genuinely confused.

The Darkness cocked its head. “You… you really don’t,” it observed, a note of surprise slipping into its voice. “I was going to offer you a way to ensure the one you love loves you back, but if you don’t _know…”_ The Darkness seemed like it was at a loss. “This is a development that I wasn’t expecting to have.”

“I don’t really… I mean, I love my friends and my god, as I should.” Karl scratched the back of his head. The Darkness stared at him. “I don’t think I’m actually _in_ love with anybody.” Discussing his love life with the Darkness, was that what isolation had driven him to?

The Darkness paused. “Tell me, Karl… do you understand the difference between platonic and romantic love?” it asked, shifting and regarding Karl with disbelief.

“Yes? I’m not a complete idiot,” Karl shot back, annoyed. “I don’t have a romantic interest in anybody!” _Go away!_ “This is one of your tricks, to make me let down my guard, isn’t it?” His jaw ached from being used and Karl winced.

“I swear to you that it’s not,” the Darkness objected, shaking its head. “Well, I suppose somebody will have to break the news to your secret admirer, then. Expect to see me or my champion later. I can’t _believe_ this.” The Darkness retreated away from the bars.

“Secret admirer?” Karl questioned, sitting up, but the Darkness had already vanished into the shadows, leaving Karl puzzled and still in pain.

* * *

_Secret admirer._

The Darkness’ voice echoed in Karl’s head as he tried to sleep.

_Do you understand the difference between platonic and romantic love?_

Karl rolled over onto his undamaged cheek, eyes fastened shut.

_I could give you what you_ really _want, Karl, though I suppose ‘who’ would be more fitting._

Who? Who could be in love with _Karl?_ Karl, the newcomer. The stranger. The failing champion of Mianite. The loudmouthed caveman. One of his friends? One of the _gods?_ Karl was beside himself with bafflement. And also insomnia.

Karl squished his face into the hard pillow, attempting to push the thoughts away but they swelled back. He could eliminate Dianite and Jordan right off the bat, seeing as Dianite was head-over-heels for Jordan and Jordan was uninterested in romance completely. Then there was Tom, who didn’t seem like the kind of guy for a serious relationship, but-

No. He was _not_ doing this. Karl wasn’t in love with anyone, he was sure, but he didn’t want to ruin things for somebody else by overthinking all of his relationships. He couldn’t even trust the Darkness to be a reliable source of information, by the gods! It was the road to ruin, acting like a romance-crazed teenager again. He couldn’t help but be curious about the notion, but it wasn’t his place to analyze and overanalyze his friends for clues. That was almost creepy.

_Tom did say he was a fifty-fifty kind of guy…_

Karl groaned and deliberately antagonized his face so that the pain might make his brain shut up.

It didn’t.

He swore loudly.

On the bright side, perhaps somebody being in love with him would guarantee him a rescuer. Karl had never expected to be the princess needing a knight in shining armour, but there he was. Gods, wasn’t that an image.

* * *

“You’re making m’lord have a crisis,” Jordan grumbled, haphazardly tossing Karl’s bread through the bars and watching it tumble to the ground. _“Oops.”_ Jordan pursed his lips, not looking apologetic at all. Karl suspected that he’d done it deliberately.

Karl held his tongue and retrieved the bread and the refilled cask. He sat the bread down on his pillow and looked back at Jordan, who was still standing at the bars. Karl took a deep breath and forced his face into a neutral and vaguely apologetic expression. “I’m sorry about the jokes,” he said, aiming to sound sincere though he wasn’t. It was the first time he’d seen Jordan since the incident.

His gaze flickered to Karl’s face. “I think you’ve paid enough for the jokes, so apology accepted,” Jordan replied. “Can I go now, or would you like to declare yourself a follower of Darkness as well and make my life a whole lot easier?” Jordan sighed.

A thought suddenly struck Karl. “Er, I have a question,” he responded. Jordan raised his eyebrows. “Did you love Ianite?” Karl hastily prayed that Jordan wouldn’t bite his head off for asking.

Jordan froze. “Of course,” the captain answered quickly, sounding a bit like he was choking on his words. He cleared his throat and added, “Every follower loves their god.”

“And… the Darkness?” Karl ventured, crossing his fingers behind his back. “I promise I won’t tease you, it’s a genuine…” he trailed off as Jordan stared down at his feet. “Jordan?”

“It’s a difficult question,” Jordan started after a long pause. “The Darkness was always Ianite. I never met the real Ianite and she never met me. So when I followed Ianite and loved Ianite as my goddess, I was instead devoting myself to the Darkness. Logically, you’d expect that I would love the Darkness because I loved Ianite, and they were- are- one and the same. But, as you’ve seen, our relationship is a little more… _tense_ than my relationship with Ianite was. That’s not to say that Ianite and I never disagreed, nor had different views and ideas, but the Darkness’ concept of, well, everything, differs from the concepts they posed to me while they were appearing as Ianite. I _agree_ with the Darkness and follow the Darkness willingly, but our bond is no longer as strong as it was while I was still under the impression that I followed Ianite.” Karl nodded, slightly confused but managing to get the gist. “I do love the Darkness. But not as much as I loved Ianite. Or at least, the Darkness’ personification of Ianite. Make sense?”

“I think so,” Karl answered. He inhaled sharply, coming to a revelation. “Wait, so when did you find out that Ianite was actually the Darkness?” Maybe Jordan hadn’t been a traitor all along after all. Maybe he had been Karl’s friend at one point.

Jordan hesitated. “Do you remember when I got stuck here, Karl? And it was a few moments before ‘Ianite’ managed to teleport me back home?” Karl did. He and Tom had escaped through the portal, but it had exploded before Jordan could reach it. “The Darkness spoke to me then, showed me the truth of everything that had happened. I thought it was all a lie at first, but… you’re a champion, Karl. You know the tug that comes with being around your god, compelling you to stand by them and obey them. The Darkness could have faked all the memories, all the visions they showed me, everything they told me could have been a fabrication, but they couldn’t falsify a god-champion bond like that. I knew from then on that ‘Ianite’ wasn’t real and that my true god lived here.”

Karl was torn. On one hand, Jordan hadn’t known that he was following the Darkness for the longest time. On the other hand, Jordan didn’t seem to think that following the Darkness was an issue. Karl supposed a case had to be made for the Darkness manipulating him and tainting him all along, and perhaps there was a way to purge the Darkness from him that would allow him to see that what he’d done was wrong.

“You wouldn’t consider renouncing the Darkness and letting me go?” Karl asked hopefully, though mostly joking. He couldn’t say that it would be what Ianite wanted, because he’d never met the real Ianite either.

Jordan laughed. “You wouldn’t consider renouncing Mianite and joining me?” the Darkness’ champion shot back, his tone slightly mocking. “No, I won’t renounce the Darkness. First, I’ve been bound to the Darkness, an incredibly powerful entity, for _years._ I don’t know what releasing myself from their hold without an equally or more powerful deity there to help me would do to me. You pledging your allegiance to the Darkness would be quick and easy because the Darkness is more powerful than Mianite and would shield you from the harm that comes with renouncing a god. Me trying to renounce the Darkness without that kind of support? It could literally rip me apart, unable to be revived by _any_ entity, no matter how strong. Second, the Darkness gives me power and satisfaction and all the weapons and equipment and supplies that I could need. I _like_ being the Darkness’ champion, so why the _fuck_ would I want to give that up?”

Karl had to admit that he didn’t have an exact answer. “Why should I join you?” he countered instead, hoping he could convince Jordan that he was close to giving up. “Other than getting freed and having my face healed, what do I get out of it? The Darkness gave me an offer, but I want to know what you have to say. Because we used to be friends.” Jordan winced when Karl said ‘used to be’ and Karl pretended that he hadn’t noticed it.

“Power, of course,” Jordan listed. “Approval and support. Immunity - it’s a matter of when the Darkness takes over the Isles, not if. Weapons, armour. We’d both be on the same side, so no more fighting between champions because of our differing faith. An entire realm that bends to your will.” Jordan gestured around at the fortress. “The Darkness wants to bring peace to the world - don’t look at me like that, Karl, I’m telling the truth. Don’t you think everybody would be happier if they all followed one god? Friendly rivalries would remain, of course, but there would be no betrayal, no being forced to pick a side, no dissonance between helping friends and following one’s god. You’re not happy with Mianite. Your friends left you here to rot. You could help me make everything _perfect.”_

Karl hesitated, trying to figure out how to say no and still give Jordan hope that he could be convinced. It was going to be an ordeal, earning Jordan’s trust again. Luckily, he didn’t have to, because Jordan smiled (though it didn’t reach his eyes) and said, “Think about it.” Jordan took a step away from the bars. “I’ll see you again soon, Karl.” And the captain was gone, the blue firelight catching his black coat as he strode to the door.

“Wait, Jordan!” Karl called out, hearing the door open. The footsteps paused, though Karl couldn’t see Jordan anymore. “What about Dianite?” Karl asked.

“What about him?” Jordan shot back nonchalantly. “I can’t leave the Darkness for Dianite if that’s what you’re-”

“He’s in love with you. Are you in love with him, too?” Karl interjected. He waited, with bated breath, for a reply. It was a risky question, much riskier than the others, but he wanted to try. Perhaps there was an in there, something Karl could use to further himself.

There was no response other than the slamming of the door.

* * *

Karl couldn’t help but feel bad for Dianite. He didn’t agree with the guy, but having his crush revealed as a devout follower of Darkness was something that Karl could imagine was painful. Karl hadn’t had a love interest turn to the Darkness, but Mianite had been possessed by the Darkness’ power for a while and it had felt like it was tearing him apart. It was torture, seeing his god like that. It was even worse when Karl considered that the longest he’d ever seen his god at one time was when he hadn’t been himself.

Karl vaguely wondered what it would have been like if things had worked out between Dianite and Jordan. Tom would have accused Jordan of trying to steal his god, that much Karl was sure of. The Darkness probably would have used it to manipulate Jordan, Karl realized sadly. And probably Dianite as well. Perhaps it was for the best that Jordan had joined the Darkness before Dianite had a chance to reveal his feelings.

He rolled over onto his back, letting his arms lay loose against the hard mattress. Karl closed his eyes, continuing his musings in darkness. What would dating a god even be like? Nobody on the Isles had done it, though Jordan and Tom had briefly mentioned someone-or-other dating his god in Ruxomar. One or two of the alts, Karl was fairly sure. Probably not much different from being a champion, though based off of Karl’s experience as Mianite’s champion, Mianite seemed like he’d make an awful boyfriend. Was that what Karl was doing wrong? Would Mianite prefer to have him as a lover, not a champion?

Karl surprised himself by snorting a laugh. _Yeah, right._ Mianite never showed up because he was having a gay crisis or something. No fucking way. Of all the reasons Karl could come up with for Mianite being distant, that had to be the most ridiculous. If somebody was in love with Karl, it sure as hell wasn’t Mianite.

(Though Karl couldn’t be that sure.)

(And maybe Karl spent another while going down the mental rabbit hole of dating Mianite to bring himself amusement.)

Karl didn’t understand gods. They were simple, with their domains and aspects, and yet so complex, with their personalities and varying morals. They acted so differently towards each champion, from Dianite and Tom’s relatively friendly relationship to the Darkness and Jordan’s tense and serious one to Mianite and Karl’s one that barely existed at all. 

Karl groaned. Maybe he wasn’t doing anything wrong at all. Maybe Mianite was just super weird and didn’t understand how humans worked. If that was the case, then all of these mental gymnastics were completely pointless and Karl was beating himself up for no reason. If Mianite was _around more,_ then Karl would _know!_

If he got out, he should ask Dianite about Mianite.

_When._ When, not if.

Right?

Karl turned over, forgetting that his cheek was still inflamed. He gasped as pain shot through his face and he instantly flipped onto his other side, grating his teeth together out of annoyance. Karl would get out, even if he had to die over and over again to accomplish it. He wanted to see his home one more time before war broke out… because that was what the Darkness was preparing for, wasn’t it? All-out war between the gods. And the Darkness needed an army.

Karl sat bolt upright. He’d almost forgotten about Tom. How long had it been since Jordan had told him that the Darkness was going after Tom? Karl hopped off the cot and started to pace, his face throbbing angrily. He tried to count on his fingers, but he had no idea. Time was utterly screwed in the mirror realm. Tom hadn’t appeared in the cell next to his, but Jordan hadn’t seemed irked by failure, either. Surely Karl would have seen Jordan get reprimanded, as he had on the first day, seeing as he was trapped in the throne room? Or had Jordan’s short temper on the day he’d been punched been as a result of a shortcoming?

His pace quickened and his breathing rapidly matched it. Then again, Jordan hadn’t given him a time frame. What had he said, exactly? Karl couldn’t remember. Something along the lines of that Tom would be there soon. _Soon._ Soon meant nothing. Soon meant that it could still be coming. Karl had to do something. _Karl_ wasn’t much. Karl was a stranger, a newcomer to this strange reality of gods and monsters. Karl was expendable, in the long run, no matter how much Tom (and at one point, Jordan) insisted otherwise. There were always the other Mianitees if Karl went permanently MIA. The gods would figure something out. But Tom? Tom was Dianite’s champion, his _only_ champion. Karl couldn’t let him get caught and risk him succumbing to the Darkness or being blasted out of existence so thoroughly that Dianite couldn’t bring him back. Karl didn’t even know if that was possible, but he wouldn’t put it past the shadowy horror that was holding him captive.

What could he do? He’d tried Mianite, but unfortunately praying only worked one way. Should he try Dianite? Grill Jordan for more information as best he could? Join the Darkness and save Tom, then accept whatever consequences he was dealt? Karl had no way to know what was going on back home. It would make his decision much easier if he had a source of information.

_Jordan._ The captain wanted to be his ally - the restoration of their friendship had been something that Jordan had pitched to him with every offer from the Darkness. Despite the murder and the punch, Karl suspected that he still had something with Jordan. Karl didn’t trust Jordan as far as he could throw him… but perhaps he could make Jordan think that he did. That’s what he’d been working at already, wasn’t it? Jordan and Tom both thought that Karl was relatively useless, Karl knew they did. Jordan probably believed that he was as bad at lying as he was at flying with elytra or building. He’d never expect Karl to be trying to trick him. And now Karl had a true goal outside of just escaping the prison - sabotage the Darkness’ plans from the inside.

He had to work fast, but couldn’t arouse suspicion. It seemed like Jordan had taken up delivering Karl’s meals personally again, which gave Karl a chance.

That was all he needed. A chance.

Chance had brought Karl to the Isles, waterlogged and unconscious on Tom’s beach. Perhaps chance would let Karl save them, lies slipping unnoticed past the Darkness and his most loyal servant.

* * *

“Hey, Capitano.” Karl let a smile play at the edges of his lips, though he knew his eyes were gaunt and melancholic. He couldn’t hide the effect that the prison had had on him. Karl wasn’t looking forward to seeing his reflection again. “I’m surprised that your boss lets you visit me so much.” They’d both changed so much since the day they’d quested for the air stone. Karl reclined on his cot, taking in Jordan’s transformation. He’d had the chance to study the captain before, but hadn’t taken it.

Jordan’s skin had desaturated into a pale, ashen grey that almost resembled stone. His sunglasses had been cracked and refracted light in an unsettling manner, making Karl wonder how Jordan could stand to wear them. The frames had also changed hue into a sinister dark purple. Jordan’s eyes were a raven’s feathers, black but colourful depending on the light and how he was standing. His hair was neater than usual but still combed in its typical style. His teeth had sharpened, making every smile dangerous. And of course, his sweeping red-and-gold coat that had been the envy of every other inhabitant of the Isles had vanished and been replaced by a black-and-purple variant that framed his form even nicer than the last one. Apparently, even the Darkness couldn’t resist trying to make Jordan look more attractive. His loose white shirt was now a dark grey button-up with a collar, the top few buttons undone, and he was wearing something else black that Karl swore was a gods-damned _waistcoat._ Only his black pants and shoes seemed to be the same. On his belt hung Jordan’s netherite sword, a constant reminder that Jordan could kill Karl anytime he wanted to. If Karl had been attracted to corny aesthetic villain-slash-bad boy types, Jordan would have been Adonis.

“M’lord doesn’t _not_ let me visit you,” Jordan replied with a shrug. “I’m probably their best shot at getting you to agree to anything, seeing as we had a friendship at one point.” The captain sat down on the other side of the bars and pushed Karl’s bread and water through.

Karl frowned. It seemed like his portion sizes were getting smaller. But he took the food anyway and ate, staring evenly back at Jordan. “Got something you want to say?” he mumbled through the bread. It wasn’t like Jordan to stick around longer than he had to.

“You already know what I have to say,” Jordan folded his hands in his lap, “but I can repeat my speech if you’d like. I spent three days rehearsing it.” His lips twitched into a smile.

“Really?” Karl raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“No.” Jordan’s smile widened into a toothy grin. “I was trying to play the pity card. Besides, days mean nothing here.”

Karl breathed a sigh of relief. “So it’s not just me?” He felt odd, having a relatively pleasant conversation with Jordan for the first time since he’d been imprisoned. Karl could almost forget where they were and who Jordan was now if it wasn’t for the conversation topic.

“Oh, no,” Jordan told him. “My sleep schedule is going to be forked if I move back to the Isles. Time makes no sense here. When the Darkness revealed the truth about Ianite, I was only gone for a few seconds for you and Tom. For me, I was trapped for a few hours, at least. Though I imagine the realm is worse to you because it’s not yours.” Karl could hear the ‘yet’ that Jordan left unspoken. Jordan seemed to think that it was only a matter of time before Karl gave in, and Karl was inclined to agree. He’d break at some point if he wasn’t rescued. But that breaking point had been pushed further away by Karl’s drive to save Tom.

“Is the Overworld bad to you?” Karl asked, resting his chin on his hand. He wanted to keep Jordan talking, see if he could make the captain slip up. Jordan wasn’t perfect and would never be, no matter what the Darkness preached about making its followers into flawless gods.

Jordan paused for a moment. “It’s not… _bad,_ but it’s not nice. The sun’s too bright.” Jordan tapped his sunglasses with his index finger. “There’s a reason I wear these all the time.” He hummed. “The Nether’s too bright as well, in case you were going to ask. Only the End and the mirror realm are dark enough for me to deal with without sunglasses, but I wear them so much that it’s weird not to. Hence why the sunglasses are a permanent fixture,” Jordan explained.

“And I see that you got a new wardrobe, huh, Mr Fairytale Villain?” Karl commented, gesturing to Jordan’s clothes. Jordan looked down as if he had forgotten what he was wearing.

“Mhm, yeah,” Jordan muttered, picking at the buttons on his shirt. “M’lord insisted on it. Said that there was no way I could be stealthy in my old coat and that it would stain. I still have it up in my room, but this one fits a lot better. I found my coat in a shipwreck, so it wasn’t my size, but I didn’t have anything else to work with.” Jordan scratched his neck.

“I understand the coat,” Karl said, “but the waistcoat and button-up? _Really?_ I thought you were a champion, not eye candy.” Karl hoped the joke wouldn’t get him punched again, and was relieved when Jordan barked a laugh.

“That’s a little gay, Karl,” Jordan joked, grinning.

“Nobody on these fucking islands is straight,” Karl countered. “But just for the record, you can’t switch my allegiance by flirting with me.” And Karl had thought that his conversation with the Darkness about his love life had been the weirdest experience he’d ever had.

Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. I’ll stick to the regularly scheduled programming, then.” Jordan’s eyes flickered away from Karl momentarily as he paused. “Besides, we all know who you’re in love with, and it’s not me.” He gave Karl a small smile as if it was a joke that Karl hadn’t been let in on.

“We… do?” Karl repeated, tilting his head slightly. “I swear you and the Darkness are fucking with me. Because I don’t know, and you know that! You mentioned it the last time you were here! Somebody’s in love with me, _okay,_ but I’m not in love with anybody!” _At least, I don’t think I am._ He tried to push back his anger. There were more important things to deal with.

Jordan shook his head. “Sure, Karl,” he drawled sarcastically. “I’d love to tell you, but I don’t think it would help things. He’s not coming to get you, anyway.” Jordan shrugged.

Karl leaned forward. “How do you know?” he asked, hoping that the question wasn’t too suspicious. Time was of the essence. Tom was in _danger._

Jordan’s eyebrows furrowed. “I suppose that’s a valid question,” he admitted. “I’ve been back to the Isles, to… keep an eye on things. They’re not planning a rescue mission.” A sour note slipped into Jordan’s voice. “At least, as far as I can tell. If m’lord had gone along with _my_ plan, I would be _sure.”_ Jordan paused. “Dianite’s sick,” he added bluntly.

“What?” Karl froze, surprised by this turn.

“Dianite is sick and he’s not getting better,” Jordan explained, looking down at the floor. He drummed his fingers on his knee. “Gandus is still trying to take his place. Mianite is missing. Tom is doing his best to help Dianite and battle Gandus with minimal help from the priest. Orion and Hermod are standing by doing nothing. Rescuing you is not on anybody’s agenda, Karl.”

“Good,” Karl retorted. “I’m fine. If Dianite needs help, that should be the priority.” His gaze was challenging. Karl didn’t want to change gears _too_ quickly - if he seemed too eager, Jordan would catch on. Karl felt like he was doing an incredibly dangerous dance with somebody that knew the moves better than he did.

“Didn’t know you were self-sacrificing.” Jordan quirked an eyebrow.

“I’m not,” Karl shot back. “It’s called constitution, logic, and trust. Not that you know that last one very well, Cap.” It _was_ a dance - confidence and responsiveness were key.

Jordan flinched back, but his expression and tone were snide. “Ouch. Do you hold grudges for a long time?” he asked, a small smirk playing at the edges of his lips.

“I still haven’t forgiven Tom for stripping my tree,” Karl commented instead of replying directly. “You had something to do with that, didn’t you?” Karl knew full well that he did, but that wasn’t the point.

Jordan finally backed down with a sigh. “Those were the good times.” Jordan’s gaze flickered to Karl’s cheek. “Look, Karl, I’m sorry. Not just about the tree, nor your face… for everything. I wish it could be different.”

“No, you don’t,” Karl spat. “You wish that I would stop being stubborn and join you.” Karl narrowed his eyes and felt anger bubble up in his chest.

Jordan pursed his lips but didn’t deny the accusation.

"I see how it is," Karl muttered, and he turned away from Jordan. "Don't you have a lord to be running back to?"

"Spit fire at me all you want, Karl," Jordan said as he got up, "but it won't change the fact that you're not leaving here until you're Darkness or dead. At least I have a lord. Yours seems to have fled, like a coward. From what I gathered, he spoke to the priest after you were captured and hasn’t been seen since."

"Mianite is not a coward," Karl insisted vindictively. "He has a reason for it, I'm sure. He has a reason for everything." _Probably._ He hesitated. _If Mianite is gone and Dianite is sick, then praying won’t help Tom._

"Whatever lets you sleep at night," Jordan muttered. “You know, Karl, I was enjoying that conversation until a few moments ago. I hope one day we can go a full ten minutes without biting each other’s heads off.”

“I’m trying my best,” Karl grumbled under his breath. “It takes a second to get over the fact that you’ve been working for our archenemy this whole time - and don’t give me that ‘I didn’t know!’ bullshit, you’ve known for, what, a month now? If you told us what was going on and who you had to work for now-”

Jordan cut him off. “I had orders! I told you that I can’t just betray the Darkness like that,” the captain protested.

“You betrayed your friends easily enough. And you got called out for disobeying orders on the first day, I saw you!” Karl hesitated. “Has anything you’ve told me since I got here been true?” His voice dropped to a whisper.

Jordan backpedalled quickly. “Wait, Karl, that’s not what I…” He paused briefly, letting Karl interject again.

“Please, Cap, if we were ever friends and if you ever want me to join you, you have to be honest with me,” Karl held his breath for a second, “and prove it.” It was half-act, half-reality, and Karl was hoping that he’d get something good out of guilt-tripping Jordan.

Jordan sighed. “I told you the truth about the Isles,” he admitted. “Dianite _is_ sick, Mianite _is_ gone. Everything I told you about what you would get for joining the Darkness is true.” He took a step back. “I’ll find a way to prove something for you. I shouldn’t have expected that you could trust me after… everything.” Jordan looked down at the ground and hesitated. “If you join me, I’ll let you out of here and you can see everything for yourself.”

“You’re lying again,” Karl replied tentatively. His strategy seemed to be working, but this wasn’t something he had a lot of practice with.

“Could be,” Jordan admitted. “Stalemate,” he then declared. “I’ll be back when I figure out how to fit a square block into a round hole. M’lord is not going to be happy…” Jordan shook his head and dismissed himself.

“I’m not going anywhere!” Karl called after him, before slumping back on his cot with a huff. He folded his arms over his chest.

Jordan was Darkness through and through, that much was true. It had been tainting and twisting him for over six years, from what Jordan had said. Karl didn’t know if it was possible to bring him back from that. The captain was stubborn and refused to alter his concept of reality even if it destroyed him. Karl had seen it before and heard stories from Tom when Jordan wasn’t there, almost warnings, to show him how far Jordan went for his goddess… or now, his god. How his trust in Ianite had been completely unwavering. Jordan’s relationship with the Darkness was rockier than his relationship with ‘Ianite’ had been, but his belief in their _cause_ seemed to be as strong as ever.

Jordan wasn’t the kind of villain that could be saved. He was the kind of villain that had to be stopped.

* * *

When Karl next woke up, he was drenched in a cold sweat. He’d been dreaming but the subject matter was quickly slipping away. All he knew was that Mianite had been there and the dream had been nice - hence why the sweat was making him anxious. Something was wrong.

Karl swung his legs off of the bed and stood up, peering out into the dark room and flickering soulfire. He shivered and grabbed onto the bars, making them clang softly. Karl blinked, feeling the temperature around him start to rapidly decrease and the throbbing in his cheek fade to a dull ache. Too late, Karl realized what was happening, and he choked on the overwhelming bitter, metallic tang as it surrounded him. The Darkness had come for him.

Karl stumbled and fell to his knees, the heavy weight of cuffs around his wrists dragging down. He glanced to his left and saw his cell, then to his right and saw Jordan crouched in a much more formal kneeling position than the one Karl had staggered into, then up and saw the netherite throne in front of him. And in front of the throne…

“You’re a clever one, caveman,” the Darkness hissed, smoke curling around it like snakes. A few wisps of shadow drifted towards Karl and he eyed them fearfully. They looked harmless, but he’d seen them solidify and grab Jordan in the blink of an eye. “Unfortunately, you didn’t count on my champion reporting _everything_ back to me,” the Darkness glanced down at Jordan with an expression of distaste, “including his failure.”

Karl gulped and felt a new wave of anxiety and fear wash over him. Jordan had betrayed him _again._

“With all due respect, my lord, I did not fail-” Jordan started, but he was cut off and Karl looked over just in time to see Jordan get hurled through the air and violently slam into the wall, before falling to the ground. Jordan groaned and gasped for air before rolling over onto his stomach to get up.

“I told you to _lie._ I told you to _convince him._ Not to make him promises that you can’t keep and spill information about the Isles,” the Darkness snarled. “I often save you from the consequences of your actions because you’re my champion. I see now where that’s gotten me - with a follower who thinks that he can speak out when he hasn’t been asked to, and act of his own accord without approval. This is _unacceptable._ Things are going to change, starting now.” The Darkness snapped its fingers and Jordan disappeared from where he’d been struggling to stand and reappeared back on his knees next to Karl. The Darkness’ gaze snapped over to Karl for a moment and it told him, “I’ll deal with _you_ in a moment.”

“My lord,” Jordan insisted. “I am loyal to you, I do everything you ask…”

“Not everything,” the Darkness growled, “and therein lies the problem. You might be loyal to our cause and thrive off of my power… but you are not loyal to _me.”_ It flicked its claw-like fingers and Jordan collapsed, his face contorted in an expression of severe pain. “Not like you were to the balance goddess that you never even _knew!”_

Karl watched Jordan struggle, horrified, before it became too much to bear. Then he looked up at the Darkness, whose expression was a mix of anger and excitement. It saw him looking and smiled.

“Free will…” the Darkness hummed, twisting its hand and drawing a cry of anguish from Jordan, “...often more trouble than it’s worth, don’t you think, Karl?”

“What are you doing?” Karl asked in a harsh whisper, feeling the colour drain from his face. “Is he- is he going to be okay?” Yes, Jordan had betrayed him multiple times now, but he didn’t deserve to be hurt like this. Especially not by his own god.

“He’ll be fine,” the Darkness reassured him, a sinister smile gracing its features. “No, better than fine. My champion will be _perfect.”_ The Darkness slowly closed its hand into a fist, and when it squeezed, Jordan screamed. Karl’s heart dropped out of his throat. “I rewarded him for officially joining me with his freedom. Perhaps one day he can win it back.”

Karl had registered what was happening now, and he didn’t want to see the smoke clear. He didn’t want to see what the Darkness was turning his old friend into. He wanted to do something, wanted to stop the Darkness - but he couldn’t move. Smoke was holding him down. He could only watch.

The Darkness dropped its hand to its side and Jordan fell completely silent. It was eerie and Karl shivered. The smoke surrounding the captain started to dissipate and Karl’s breath caught in his throat. Jordan was motionless, frozen where he knelt at the foot of the dais, and pitch-black veins crept up his neck and the side of his face towards his eye, showing the Darkness’ more thorough influence. The Darkness clapped its hands together and let out a gleeful, grating laugh, making Karl flinch.

“Captain…” the Darkness drawled, dragging out the word into a long hiss.

“Yes, my lord?” Jordan replied, his voice dim with reverence. Karl’s eyes widened. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen Jordan like this. It couldn’t have been exactly like this, or else Jordan wouldn’t have acted the way he did afterwards, but when Jordan had been revealed as a follower of Darkness, he had been more like this than any other persona. It must have been some form of influence from the Darkness, to ensure that everything went right.

“Who are you?” the Darkness demanded, gaze flickering to Karl with a hint of amusement and pride.

“Your champion, my lord,” Jordan answered, “Captain Jordan Sparklez.” Jordan bowed his head, his movements stiff and methodical. He paused, as if unsure whether or not to continue.

The Darkness hummed. “You will obey me without question, do you understand?” it prompted, folding its hands behind its back.

“Of course, my lord,” Jordan murmured, eyes fixed on the ground. “I won’t fail you again.”

“Don’t move,” the Darkness ordered. “Now I have to deal with the caveman.” It sighed and Karl’s heart jumped up two notches. He had felt fear before, but never like this. This was petrifying terror at its finest. It sunk into every cell in Karl’s body and held him fast, forcing his heart to pump faster, his eyes widen, and his skin pale.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” the Darkness snapped, surprising Karl. _“He,”_ the Darkness glared at Jordan, “disobeyed me. All you have to do to avoid the torture is join me and obey me, it’s that simple. I’m tired of waiting for an answer, so either you renounce Mianite and join me _now,_ or when I get back in a couple of days I drag you down to the dungeon and, ah, _convince you.”_ In any other situation, Karl would have made a dirty joke, but his voice had stopped working and so he just nodded sharply.

The choice was obvious, wasn’t it? He’d considered it before. Join the Darkness and escape later. Either that or be forced into joining after enduring an amount of pain that Karl really didn’t want to experience. Join the Darkness now, prove his loyalty, and then stab it in the back. Nobody was coming to get him. This was the only way out.

_Say yes._

“So?” the Darkness prompted, looking impatient. “What will it be, Karl?”

_Say yes, Karl._

_It’s the only option._

_Say it!_

Karl stood up, looked the Darkness in the eyes, and said, “No.”

The Darkness shook its head with disappointment. “I thought you were smarter than this.” It paused, then smiled crookedly. “Captain, kill him,” it ordered coldly.

Without hesitation, Jordan stood up, pulled a dagger out of his belt with his left hand, and stabbed Karl in the chest.

* * *

“Mianite?” The void was pure white and felt the same as it always did… almost. Something was missing. Karl tried to turn around, looking for his god. “Mianite!” he called desperately. He needed reassurance, a friendly face after all of this, before he woke up again.

And then Mianite was there, just a few metres away, but Karl knew that he couldn’t reach Mianite if he tried.

Karl choked up, almost like he was going to cry, but he insisted to himself that he wouldn’t. “Mianite-” he started, but the god cut him off almost instantly.

“We don’t have long,” Mianite said quickly. “I’ve been trying to get a message to you somehow. But nevermind everything else - if you can hold out a bit longer, I’m coming to get you. It’s just going to be…” he hesitated, “...difficult.”

Karl’s heart swelled. He hadn’t been abandoned after all. “The Darkness is leaving,” he remembered suddenly. “It said that it would deal with me in a few days when it got back.” Karl looked down, able to see himself starting to slip back into life again.

Mianite reached out for him, then stopped. “Don’t hint at anything,” the god requested. “We only have one shot at this. That’s why it’s taken so long.” Mianite glanced away. “Be… be safe, my champion.”

Karl smiled genuinely for the first time since he’d been captured. “I will,” he promised, and then he was torn away, heart aching.

Karl gasped for air and sat bolt upright in his cot, back behind bars. His hand immediately went to his heart, where Jordan had stabbed him, feeling the absence of a wound. Then he touched his cheek, realizing that the revival had healed his face as well. Karl sighed, relaxing back against the hard mattress, but then he froze as he realized that there was someone standing guard outside his cell. His back was to Karl, but Karl would recognize him anywhere, especially after earlier. “Jordan?” Karl called tentatively. “What are you doing here?”

“My lord’s orders while they’re gone,” Jordan answered curtly. He refused to elaborate or even look at Karl.

Karl turned away and tried to ignore Jordan, though it proved more difficult than he had expected. He was going to be rescued, though, so he wouldn’t have to deal with Jordan for long. Karl still couldn’t believe it. Mianite was coming. Mianite hadn’t abandoned him. Karl had never felt happier, though his longing for home was now multiplied tenfold.

But he still had to act normal. Karl pulled his legs up to his chest and glanced back at Jordan. It shouldn’t be too hard. Just more waiting. _Great._

Though now, he had something real to wait for.

* * *

One meal passed, then two. Karl’s anxiety was through the roof. He didn’t know when the Darkness was coming back, and it worried him. He was also permanently hungry, which had nothing to do with his anxiety, but was just something that he was constantly thinking about.

_What if Mianite isn’t coming?_ Karl wrapped a broken bit of twine around his finger, trying to make it turn purple out of boredom. _He has to be. He said he would be._ Karl trusted his god. It was more than trust, actually. Karl had faith in his god.

Jordan’s post moved from beside Karl’s cell to the door of the throne room. Sometimes the captain would pace along the length of the room when it was particularly boring, but he never spoke to Karl. Karl wondered if Jordan blamed him for what the Darkness had done. Then he wondered if Jordan could feel _anything_ towards him, after all of that. Karl didn’t ask.

Time ticked by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Jordan’s rhythmic footsteps halted and he sat down at the foot of the throne, coat cascading over the stairs and giving him an air of royalty. Jordan had always exuded an aura of power, as any champion did, but it had increased tenfold and was now inlaid with a definite sense of danger. Karl had known before being taken prisoner that Jordan was a dangerous man - both of his closest friends were, it was simply a fact - but now he was practically oozing darkness and death. Karl took in the jet-black veins spreading across Jordan’s face and sighed, the visual reminder of what the Darkness had done almost taunting him. _Your friend is here,_ it seemed to be whispering, _but he will never help you again._

Karl’s palms were sweating. He reached down to get his flask of water and uncorked it before taking a drink. His worry that he wouldn’t be rescued had given way to a worry that the rescue would go wrong. The Darkness had taken Dianite prisoner… what was to stop it from returning early and seizing Mianite? There was also the matter of Jordan, who wouldn’t just let Karl walk out of the prison. Karl hoped that Mianite had taken the time to come up with a good plan. He didn’t want anybody getting hurt because of him.

Unless it was Jordan or the Darkness. At this point, Karl was fine with them getting hurt. He owed Jordan two deaths and a punch to the face, after all.

Karl couldn’t wait to be home. Things wouldn’t be the same - they would never and could never be the same again - even if they somehow managed to get Jordan back, but it would be good to see everybody else again. His friends… and Mianite. Karl’s heart was stabbed with longing and he rested his head on his hand. He hated this place. It felt like it was sapping his very being away. If he spent enough time there, he suspected that he’d turn out like the Darkness - merely a shadow of a creature, twisted and cruel. Maybe that was why the Darkness was the way it was. Or perhaps that was just another anxiety talking.

He knew now that Mianite had been intending to rescue him. But what about Tom? Had he been too preoccupied with Dianite to think about him? Karl doubted that, but perhaps he’d been too busy and figured that Karl could take care of himself. They’d managed to escape from the Darkness’ prison without outside help the first time, after all. Karl closed his eyes. Tom was his closest friend - they were practically brothers. It was impossible that Tom hadn’t worried about him at all. Oh, how he wished that he was home… teaming up with Tom to wreak havoc had always been one of his favourite pastimes. Yelling catchphrases or simply screaming at the top of their lungs, Karl and Tom always had a blast. He remembered one occasion on which Tom had almost passed out from screaming too much and he’d had to escort the zombie back to his house. Karl could picture it so clearly that he could almost hear Tom shouting.

Scratch the ‘almost’. Karl _could_ hear Tom shouting. His eyes flew open and he leapt to his feet, heart pounding. His gaze landed on Jordan, who had jumped up at the same time, and the sound of metal rang out as Jordan drew his netherite sword, the blade gleaming with enchantments.

“Syndicate,” Jordan growled, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “He’s a fool if he thinks that he can just walk in here and take you. He isn’t even _trying_ to be quiet.” Jordan scoffed and spun the sword in his grip. “The agents of Darkness will force him back to the islands with his tail between his legs. They’re stronger than ever.” Jordan strode over to the door, crouched down, and pressed his ear against the iron. “He’s out by the gate. Syndicate will never make it here without help.”

_He has help,_ Karl thought fiercely. _He must have come with Mianite. You’re the fool, Cap._ He wanted to say all of that and more to Jordan, but he held his tongue. Spilling what he knew of the plan would only hinder his allies. The longer Jordan thought that the rescue mission would fail, the less chance of the Darkness being summoned back to help.

“Nothing,” Jordan announced, straightening and taking a few paces away from the door. “He’s an idiot.” The captain looked at Karl, sword still held at the ready. “At least he’s trying. If he was going to fail, he should have come earlier and gotten it over wi-”

And then the world exploded.

At least, that was what it felt like. Despite being halfway down the room and inside a cell, Karl was thrown back by the force of the blast and slammed into his cot. He groaned, trying to wave away the dust and smoke and clear the ringing from his ears. As things started to settle he clambered back to his feet, making his way back to the bars and latching onto them to stabilize himself.

The first thing that Karl noticed was Jordan, sprawled on the floor and coughing. Then the massive hole in the wall where the doors had been, surrounded by rubble. And finally, the man standing amid the smoke.

No, not a man. A _god._

Mianite stormed towards Jordan before he could get up and seized him by his neck. Jordan choked on the breath he was in the middle of taking and clawed at Mianite’s arm with his hands, trying to make Mianite let go. But despite Jordan’s status as the Darkness’ champion and all the power that came with it, Mianite was still a god.

Karl had never seen Mianite so angry. His electric blue eyes were crackling with lightning and the amount of power sparking off of him instilled fear even in Karl, who knew that Mianite wouldn’t hurt him. Light and heat flooded from the god, which must have been the cause of Karl’s shortness of breath and racing heart. His voice was like thunder roaring in Karl’s ears, filled with fury and another emotion that Karl didn’t recognize.

“Where is my champion, Captain?” Mianite demanded. Jordan looked as if he was struggling to breathe and Karl wondered how he was supposed to answer. _“Where is Karl?!”_ Karl hoped that Mianite would smite Jordan. It would be sweet revenge.

Karl finally found his voice and shouted, “Here!”

Mianite’s gaze locked onto Karl and he dropped Jordan instantly, leaving the Darkness’ champion spluttering on the ground. Everything froze for a moment and Karl forgot how to breathe, every word absent from his mind, thoughts feeling as if they were moving through honey. _Relief._ That was one of the emotions he was experiencing. Relief, hope, gratefulness, appreciation, ecstasy, and…

“Karl,” Mianite’s voice was quieter now, a low rumble. “You’re safe now, I promise.” The bars vanished and Karl, surprised, fell forward into Mianite’s arms. Karl promptly turned red, embarrassed, and pushed himself back into an independent standing position. Mianite laughed, a deep, rich chuckle, and Karl thought he was going to faint. He was just so thrilled to see somebody that was on his side.

“Thank you,” Karl breathed. He met Mianite’s eyes and it was like watching a storm clear. “I thought you’d come… knew you’d come… but it was so long… I didn’t know if you’d- if you’d forgotten about me.” Mianite reached up to brush some stray hair from Karl’s face and his anger was replaced with concern.

“I could never forget about you, my champion,” Mianite insisted. “It has only been a week for us, though I know it must have been much longer for you. I didn’t want to delay, but I couldn’t leave my brother in that condition. He needed godly help, and without Ianite…” Mianite paused and drew a shaky breath before grabbing Karl’s shoulders with his hands and smiling. “Well, that’s passed. Let’s get you home, Karl.” Mianite released his grip and then reached down to take Karl’s hand and gently lead him out of the cell.

“I don’t think so,” a voice hissed, and Karl suddenly remembered that there was a third person in the room. Mianite spun around, bringing Karl with him, and Karl gulped. Jordan was halfway between standing and kneeling, clutching his ribs with one hand and holding his sword with the other. He straightened up, not hiding when he winced, and snarled, “Give him back and leave peacefully, or this will get messy, _godling.”_

“Karl is mine,” Mianite boomed, his grip tightening on Karl’s hand. Karl felt fondness well up in his chest. Yes, he was Mianite’s champion, and they wouldn’t abandon each other. “You and your master cannot have him.” Mianite’s voice was firm and commanding, and perhaps it was just because he was Karl’s god, but even though he wasn’t the one being spoken to, he felt compelled to listen.

Jordan spun the sword in his hand and then gripped the hilt with both hands. The netherite gleamed wickedly and Karl felt a trickle of worry. Oh. That’s right. Jordan had killed gods before. “Then I’ll take him from you,” Jordan declared, levelling the sword at Mianite.

Karl swore he saw the flicker of a smile on Mianite’s face. “You’re welcome to try, Captain,” the god replied evenly, lifting his free hand, and Karl watched sparks of electricity jump between his fingers. “A god of order must dispense justice as well. You hurt somebody very dear to me without provocation. Therefore…” Mianite held out his hand, directing it at Jordan, “...you must feel my wrath.” Mianite’s expression twisted into anger. “I have spoken. Die, _traitor!”_

Karl thought it was a tad dramatic, but he appreciated the gesture more than Mianite could know. He appreciated it more when there was a rumble among the rafters and Jordan looked up, as confused and curious as Karl was, it seemed. Karl had seen a smiting before - he’d been on the receiving end before, too - but it was always just a jolt, leaving an annoying mark and a sting but not much worse than that. This was much different. Clouds curled into existence around the roof, bristling with electricity and bearing a dark grey tone, and thunder boomed. Karl clutched Mianite’s arm for reassurance, the god’s gentle warmth a welcome comfort, and Mianite hummed in acknowledgement.

Jordan started to charge towards Mianite as if he sensed what was happening, but he had barely made it five paces before lightning shot down from the clouds and struck him, instantly evaporating the Darkness’ champion into a pile of ash. Mianite clicked his fingers and the clouds dispersed, leaving a very awestruck Karl holding his hand and staring at where Jordan had been standing.

“The Darkness will revive him,” Mianite commented, almost as if he were reassuring Karl, “and now it knows for sure that I’m here. Perhaps I shouldn’t have done that, but…” something flashed across Mianite’s face, “...I was furious about what he did to you. Time to go, my champion.” Mianite squeezed Karl’s hand, which Karl was grateful for, because he needed to be grounded. “Follow me.”

Karl let Mianite lead him to the ‘door’ (or where the doors previously had been), though he glanced back at the throne. Karl followed Mianite over the rubble and into the hall, feeling positively ecstatic. He was _safe._ He was on his way _home._ And Mianite was there, no longer distant, suddenly protective and gentle and radiant, and Karl hoped that this change was permanent. This new Mianite, the kind that broke into the Darkness’ prison for his champion, was the Mianite that Karl wanted to keep.

“Syndicate is at the front gate, causing a distraction,” Mianite explained hurriedly. “He insisted on coming, but I didn’t- I wanted to retrieve you by myself. We have to meet up with him before we leave, or else he doesn’t have a way back.” Mianite’s expression hardened as they charged down the hall. “Endermen, up ahead. My sister’s creatures, but they’ve become bound to the Darkness after it took her place. Don’t let go of my hand,” the god ordered.

Karl hadn’t been planning on it. It was a fascinating experience, what with the otherworldly magic coursing underneath Mianite’s skin. Then, with the pleasant warmth and Mianite’s firm grip, Karl didn’t really _want_ to let go. Which wasn’t weird at all. He was allowed to enjoy holding hands with his god during his rescue. Hell, Karl had been isolated in _prison_ for the last week (though it had felt like much longer), so he was allowed to be clingy. It had nothing to do with Mianite himself. If it had been Tom… well, Karl wouldn’t have done the same, because Tom had weird zombie skin and probably would have made it awkward or flirtatious. Mianite seemed to have the same attitude towards it as Karl did. It was perfectly fine to like holding hands with the god of order when said god was in the middle of rescuing you. It wouldn’t happen again, Karl assured himself.

Karl watched with fascination and awe as the Endermen attempted to attack them, but every time one got close, it was blasted into dust before it could touch Karl. It was a stark reminder of how powerful Mianite really was, but Karl didn’t feel scared. Mianite was protecting him. And from the look on Mianite’s face, the god wasn’t going to stop protecting him any time soon. A small part of Karl’s mind wanted to insist that he could take care of himself, but he knew that letting his pride get in the god’s way would not end well.

“This way,” Mianite directed, steering Karl down another identical hallway. Karl wondered how Mianite knew which way to go, and as if Mianite had read his mind, the god added, “I can sense his magic. It’s hard to miss.”

“Tom has magic?” Karl questioned, watching another Enderman get obliterated by lightning. Then he glanced up at Mianite, trying to remember what his second question had been, but getting distracted by the god’s perfect features.

“You all do. The champions, I mean,” Mianite replied. “Yours is particularly strong, Karl. It’s part of the reason why I find you so…” Mianite’s blue eyes swept over Karl as if the god was studying him, “...endearing.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Karl admitted sheepishly as they turned another corner into yet another identical hallway. He hoped that Mianite hadn’t just subtly insulted him.

“Er, fascinating. I find you fascinating,” Mianite clarified with a small cough, though he quickly looked away from Karl. There was a rosy tint to his cheeks and Karl realized that the god was _blushing._ He didn’t even know that that was possible. “Let’s keep moving, we’re almost there.” 

Wooden doors burst open in front of them and Karl drew a breath of fresh air for the first time in a week. A content smile grew on his face and he paused, causing Mianite to tug him forward. “I’m sorry, Karl, but we can’t waste time,” the god apologized. “This realm is not kind to me.” But Mianite still waited for Karl to catch up, let Karl take a few moments to look around and _breathe,_ and when Karl looked back at Mianite, Mianite’s expression was patient and kind. “Over here,” he indicated gently.

Karl could hear the sound of a sword being swung around and Tom yelling obscenities at whatever he was fighting, and when Mianite brought him down the slope, he could see the zombie fending off nearly a dozen Endermen single-handedly, each swipe of his diamond sword leaving fire in its wake - not the cold blue fire that had lit the throne room, but bright red fire that _burned._ Tom drove his sword into the chest of one of the Endermen, then hauled it back out as the creature died, before fluidly swiping the head off of another. When Mianite and Karl came into view, Tom looked over at them and shouted, “What took you so long?” with a large grin on his face. He pushed up the brim of his hat and then proceeded to kill two more Endermen with one strike.

Karl hung back with Mianite as Tom disposed of the rest of the Endermen. “There are more coming,” Mianite announced, looking back towards the gate. “We should get somewhere safer. Syndicate-” Mianite didn’t even have to finish his sentence before Tom was hurrying to join them.

“Coming!” Tom called, racing up to stand at Karl’s side. He glanced down, noticing Karl and Mianite’s interlocked hands. “So, are you two…” Tom lifted an eyebrow at Karl and winked, then looked over at Mianite with a devious expression.

“No!” Karl insisted, and though he didn’t want to, he released his hand from Mianite’s grip. “He was leading me out of the fortress, that’s all.” A pang shot through Karl’s heart at that, one that confused him as he glanced up at Mianite.

“I mean…” Tom leaned over to Karl as if he were going to whisper in Karl’s ear, but he spoke loud enough for Mianite to hear. “Mianite is a _god._ You could do worse.” Karl swore that Tom’s grin had grown even bigger, and there was definitely mischief there. Gods, Karl had missed this, even if he wanted to slap Tom in the face.

“Oh, shut up!” Karl shot back, though he was still smiling. He lightly and playfully hit Tom in the arm. “Mianite is my god, not my boyfriend, you twat. He can’t be both.” For some reason, Mianite seemed oddly discontent with the conversation.

“Tell that to Spark and Mot!” Tom exclaimed, and Karl vaguely recalled stories about the men in question from Tom and Jordan’s time in Ruxomar. Mostly Mot. He’d been Dianite’s champion and lover, hadn’t he? _Whoops._ Karl had completely forgotten that yes, it was possible to be a god’s champion and date them at the same time. _Whatever._ Karl and Mianite weren’t dating, so what did it matter?

Mianite coughed loudly and deliberately. _“Anyway,”_ he interrupted, “I believe we were moving somewhere safer? We’re on a time limit, as I reminded you multiple times, _Syndicate.”_ Mianite glared at Tom pointedly.

“Right, yes, of course, Your Most Radiant Lord Mianite,” Tom drawled, giving Mianite a half-salute with his hand. Karl narrowed his eyes, sure that Tom was mocking his god. “Lead the way!”

Mianite started away from the fortress and Karl hurried behind him, casting a glance back at the gate, where a few stray Endermen were appearing. Tom had cleared out the entrance pretty well, but there would be a horde again in a few moments. Tom was barely a pace behind Karl, energetic as always.

They reached the edge of a cliff and Mianite stopped. “Here,” he declared. “It’s far enough. I just didn’t want any of those Endermen trying to disrupt me. Teleporting in and out of here is difficult enough.” Was it just Karl’s imagination, or did Mianite seem taxed? Mianite smiled at both of them. “Good work, Syndicate. Karl… let’s get you home.” Mianite placed one hand on Karl’s shoulder and the other on Tom’s. For a moment, nothing happened, then Karl felt a tingling like static spread over his skin and the wind picked up, rushing by him at increasing speeds until it was roaring and threatening to pull him off the ground if it wasn’t for Mianite holding him down.

And it was over and Karl fell to his knees, feeling the grass beneath his hands and breathing a long sigh of relief and exhaustion. Home. Karl was _home._

“Need some help there, mate?” Tom offered, hovering over him with an expression of concern. Karl took his offered hand and let the zombie haul him to his feet. “You can stay at my place tonight if you’d like. There’s an extra bed stowed away somewhere that I can pull out.” Karl smiled. Despite Tom’s jibes, the Dianitee was a true friend. “Or I can escort you back to your island. I just… want to make sure you’re okay.” Tom clapped him on the arm, expression slightly awkward.

Karl opened his mouth to reply, but Mianite cut in before he could. “Your offer is kind, Tom, but I think you’ve done enough. Perhaps you should check on Dianite - I can look after my champion.” Mianite slung his arm around Karl’s shoulders, the casual gesture of affection surprising Karl.

Tom looked as if he wanted to object, but he paused, then glanced between Mianite and Karl for a few moments. A sly smirk grew on his face. “You’re right, Mianite,” Tom replied lightly. “I’ll go make sure that Dianite is alright. You two… have fun!”

Karl blinked, confused, as Tom disappeared into his house. He looked over at Mianite, expression demanding an explanation, but Mianite seemed like he didn’t notice. The god just smiled and turned towards Karl’s island, and in an instant, they were standing on Karl’s balcony instead of the ground outside Tom’s house. Mianite stepped away, moving towards the fence that overlooked the temple and the rest of the island, and Karl opened his mouth to ask a question, but it was quickly forgotten when Mianite collapsed.

“Mianite?!” Karl dove onto his knees, touching Mianite’s arm. His mind whirled, trying to take in this turn of events. He’d seemed tired, yes, but Karl hadn’t expected _this._ “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“It’s- it’s the mirror realm,” Mianite groaned, chest heaving as he tried to stabilize himself against the fence. “It rejects light. And I’m practically made of it, now that I’ve been cleansed. You saw how badly it injured my brother.” Mianite hesitated, blue eyes finding Karl’s face. “The residual Darkness is trying to eat away at me, and my power is fighting it off. The side effects are… unpleasant. It’s been doing this since I stepped foot in the mirror realm, but I… didn’t think it was pertinent information,” Mianite admitted.

“You didn’t think that the fact that the Darkness is _eating you_ was _important information?!”_ Karl exclaimed, quickly checking Mianite over. He looked unharmed, without even a stray hair in his beard to show that something was off, and Karl would have assumed that he was fine if it hadn’t been for the tortured expression on his face.

“I didn’t…” Mianite’s fingers closed around Karl’s wrist and the god winced. Karl grabbed Mianite’s forearm, holding him steady. “I didn’t want to worry you, my champion.” Mianite smiled at Karl, but it was pained. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I just need to rest,” the god insisted.

Karl was aching with worry. Mianite had put himself on the line to rescue his champion, and Karl didn’t want to see his god get permanently hurt because of him. Even if Mianite insisted that he would be alright, he wasn’t alright _yet,_ and that made Karl anxious. Mianite had just _saved_ him - he didn’t deserve this.

In a split-second decision, Karl forced Mianite’s arm around his shoulders and wrapped his arm around Mianite’s back in order to haul the god into a standing position. “Well, you can’t rest out here,” Karl declared, and started to help the god hobble towards the open door. _You saved me, and now I’ll try to make it up to you._ The god resisted briefly, before Karl murmured on a whim, “Let me help you, Mia.” He didn’t notice the nickname, but he noticed how it made Mianite’s eyes widen. Karl was having so many conflicting thoughts and feelings, but he pushed them away. It could wait. Everything could wait, if it was for Mianite.

“My champion… Karl… there’s something I have to tell you,” Mianite started, but Karl quickly shushed him.

“Tell me later,” Karl said, leading the god to the single bed tucked into the corner of Karl’s glass-walled room. The view was beautiful, but Karl only had eyes for Mianite. “You’re more important, Mianite.” He paused, helping Mianite sit down on the edge of the bed. “Should I get Dec?” He made to move away, but Mianite caught Karl’s hand with his, halting him in his tracks. Karl’s brow was deeply furrowed with concern for the god- _his_ god.

“N-no,” Mianite stammered, before clearing his throat and repeating himself. “No. Stay, Karl. I’ll be okay, just… stay, please.” Karl had never heard Mianite so… emotional before. And desperate. There was definitely a note of desperation there.

So Karl’s face softened and he replied quietly, “Sure, Mia.” He could’ve stopped the nickname that time, but he found that he didn’t want to. He liked it - it felt natural. Nice. _Right._ “Just let me get a chair and I’ll be right here,” Karl promised. He squeezed Mianite’s hand and then let go. He dashed down the stairs and retrieved a chair from beside his chests, then raced back up and set it down beside the bed.

Mianite was laying back on Karl’s bed, looking better than before but still pale and breathing heavily. His lips twitched into a small smile when he saw Karl reappear. “Thank you, Karl,” Mianite murmured, sounding strained. “You’re a good man.” Mianite gasped in pain but continued speaking. “You don’t deserve… a _mess_ like me.”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Karl asked, slipping his hand back into Mianite’s grasp without a second thought. He wasn’t thinking - he was just letting his emotions tug him along. “You’re not a mess, Mianite… what would make you think that?”

Mianite chuckled, though it came out as more of a wheeze. “You said… to tell you later,” the god replied playfully, running his thumb over Karl’s wrist. “I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but I want you to be here when I wake up…” Mianite hesitated, and he didn’t even have to ask before Karl had answered.

“Yes.” Karl nodded. “I already said that I would stay, Mia.” Karl only had one clear thought above all of the feelings fighting each other in his brain: _Tom can never find out about this._ He would be teased beyond belief. “Rest,” Karl insisted, playfully poking his god in the shoulder.

Mianite sighed almost wistfully and turned his head to the side before letting his eyes close. Karl let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and sat back in the chair, Mianite’s hand still clutched in his.

Gods, Karl’s life was fucking _weird._ Mianite, Karl’s _god,_ was currently occupying his bed because Mianite’s father’s power was trying to consume him. This was only happening because Mianite had come to rescue Karl, who had been trapped in the Darkness’ realm after one of his closest friends was revealed as a traitor and literally stabbed him in the back. Oh, and Karl was holding Mianite’s hand like a concerned boyfriend, which he wasn’t. Mianite’s boyfriend, he meant. Karl _was_ concerned, just not as a boyfriend. As a _champion._ There was a difference.

(Tom’s voice echoed in Karl’s mind - _“Tell that to Spark and Mot!”_ \- and Karl wanted to slap him all over again.)

Karl was devoted to his god and he loved Mianite to a certain extent, but not like that! Romance was different. Romance meant dramatically pining while they were separate, wondering desperately if the other cared for him at all, and when they finally had a reunion, it being impossible to tear them apart. It meant kind words and protecting each other and watching over the other when he was sick, and tearing through hordes of monsters to save the other. Romance meant impossibly complex feelings that Karl hoped he never had to deal with, it meant heartache and heartbreak, and at the very least it meant enjoying time spent with the other in a way that was like any other company and never wanting to let go.

Karl paused, hesitant.

_Wait._

He blinked. All of that sounded familiar. Way too familiar.

_Holy shit._

And Karl’s world turned on an axis, taking his breath away as he looked down at his god. The god he _loved._ His grip on Mianite’s hand tightened as things continued to click into place. And if what the Darkness had said and Karl had seen with his own eyes were to be believed… Mianite loved him, too. Their relationship had always been complicated. As far as Karl knew, none of the other gods had ever charged into a realm that actively hurt them to save one of the champions. Other than Dianite, but he was in love with Jordan.

Karl was still processing and holding Mianite’s hand with a vice grip when the god awoke, his expression slightly urgent, as if he could sense Karl’s revelation. Mianite still seemed weak, but no longer in pain. He looked over at his champion, saw Karl’s face, and started, “Karl? Is there something-”

“What did you want to tell me?” Karl asked hurriedly. Mianite hesitated. “Mia, please,” Karl begged. He hoped- he _prayed_ that he was right. “I’m okay, I swear. Everything’s fine. I was just… thinking about things.” Karl’s heart jumped as he met Mianite’s eyes, the god’s tender expression making him glad that he was already sitting down. Gods, he was in so deep.

“I…” Mianite sat up and swung his legs off of the bed, giving Karl’s palm a brush with his thumb before he pulled their hands apart. The god stood, though there was a short moment where he was shaky, and crossed over to the window with blue-tinted glass.

Karl stood up as well. “Mianite?” he prompted tentatively. His heart was racing. Anxiety flooded through his body. Karl wasn’t sure he wanted to know what the god had to say anymore.

“I apologize for not treating you like the other champions,” Mianite started gently, turning back to Karl. “The first time I saw you, things were… overwhelming. I didn’t know how to deal with my new, very _human_ feelings. I claimed you as my champion because I was worried that I wouldn’t have one, and also to keep you close to me. But then I never gave you the attention you want, nor the respect that you deserve. I hope you can forgive me for all of this, and what I’m about to tell you.” Mianite paused, glancing back at the window, then at Karl. He took a deep breath. “The truth is, Karl… I’m in love with you.” He wrung his hands together before continuing in a shaky voice. “If- if this makes you want to stop being my champion, I-I understand, it’s-”

Karl took a few moments to get his head around things and Mianite continued talking, though Karl stopped listening. Then Karl held up his hand, realizing what he had to say, and interrupted with a loud proclamation of, “You dumbass, Mia, I’m in love with you, too!”

Mianite halted mid-sentence and gaped at Karl, making Karl backtrack and realize that _maybe_ he shouldn’t have called his god a dumbass in the middle of his love confession. Yeah, perhaps shouting obscenities at the god he’d watched turn Jordan into dust earlier that day was not the wisest decision Karl had ever made.

Then again, Karl wasn’t known for making wise decisions. That was Jordan’s area.

“Of all the reactions I anticipated,” Mianite started to say, his words slow and deliberate, “this was not one of them.” Mianite’s brow furrowed. “Especially not with the… cursing.”

“Look, I had your fucking _dad_ basically tell me that you were in love with me and vice versa while I was trapped in that nightmare,” Karl told him. “Newsflash: we’re both dumbasses.”

For a moment, Mianite was quiet, and Karl wondered if he’d really overstepped. Then the god began to laugh and Karl joined him.

“I suppose you’re right, Karl,” Mianite admitted with a large smile. “I was not exactly the most… uptight about my feelings. I imagine that Dianite is incredibly sick and tired of hearing about this nonsense and will be thrilled to find out that I finally told you. And I think Tom caught onto you a while ago.” Mianite shook his head, still smiling. “Well, at least things are alright now.”

_Jordan’s still dark, Dianite is sick, and I have no idea how my time in the mirror realm will affect me in the long run,_ Karl thought, but then he looked up at Mianite and took a few steps towards his god and he added, _but things are alright. Here, now, things are alright._ Karl grinned, letting himself feel giddy. “Yeah,” he said. “Mia… can I kiss you?”

“Go ahead,” Mianite answered simply.

Karl reached up and grabbed the front of Mianite’s loose tunic, then pulled him down into a kiss.

_No… right now, things are perfect._

**Author's Note:**

>  _H THIS TOOK FOREVER_  
>  thank you for reading, please leave a comment and a kudos if you enjoyed <3  
> feel free to read my other mianite fics, there are quite a few now!  
> as always, shoutout to the nerf house. love y'all.


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